December 12, 2003 – The more television a child watches every day, the less fruit and vegetables he consumes, say American researchers.
Studying1 According to the eating and viewing habits of 548 12-year-olds over two years, scientists found that participants consumed an average of just over four servings of fruits and vegetables daily, less than the recommended five servings. Even more troubling, they then discovered that every hour of watching TV translates to 0.15 fewer servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
In concrete terms, this means that a child who watched three hours of television per day at the start of the study and four at the end consumes 110 fewer servings of fruits and vegetables in a year than one who does not watch at all. television.
The advertisements shown on television would encourage young people to replace fruits and vegetables with other less nutritious foods. The researchers denounce, among other things, the language used in several of these advertisements, such as those where it is said that the advertised product is part of a “healthy and balanced” diet. In addition to reducing their level of physical activity, television would therefore contribute to the obesity epidemic among young people by negatively influencing their food choices (see the text of PasseportSanté.net on this subject, dated December 4, 2003). .
Jean-Benoit Legault – PasseportSanté.net
According to WebMD; December 8, 2003.
1. Boynton-Jarrett R, Thomas TN, Peterson KE, Wiecha J, Sobol AM, Gortmaker SL. Impact of television viewing patterns on fruit and vegetable consumption among adolescents.Pediatrics 2003 Dec; 112 (6 Pt 1): 1321-6.
