 |
|
Restricting Kids' Video Time Reduces Obesity, Randomized Trial Shows
March 04, 2008BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Entrenched sedentary behavior such as watching television and playing computer video games has been the bane for years of parents of overweight children and physicians trying to help those children lose pounds.
There has been little scientifically based research on the effect of limiting those activities, however.
University at Buffalo researchers now have shown in a randomized trial that by using a device that automatically restricted video-viewing time, parents reduced their children's video time by an average of 17.5 hours a week and lowered their body-mass index (BMI) significantly by the end of the 2-year study.
In contrast, children in the control group, whose video time was monitored, but not restricted, reduced their viewing time by only 5 hours per week.
Results of the study appear in the current issue (March 2008) of the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine.
"Our controlled experiment provided a test of whether reducing access to television and computer time led to a reduction in BMI," said Leonard Epstein, UB Distinguished Professor in the departments of Pediatrics, Health Behavior and Social and Preventive Medicine and first author on the study.
"Results showed that watching television and playing computer games can lead to obesity by reducing the amount of time that children are physically active, or by increasing the amount of food they consume as they as engaged in these sedentary behaviors."
The study involved 70 boys and girls between the ages of 4 and 7 whose BMI -- the ratio of weight to height -- was at or above the 75 percentile for age and sex. Eighty percent of the children were above the 85th percentile and nearly half were above the 95th percentile.
The children were assigned randomly to a control group or an intervention group. Each family received a device called TV Allowance for all video outlets in the home. All participants regularly watched television or played computer video games for at least 14 hours per week, as determined during a 3-week pre-study period.
Each family member had a private individual code to activate the electronic devices. Devices in "intervention" homes, but not "control" homes, had a set weekly time limit, which was reduced by 10 percent per week until viewing time was reduced by 50 percent. Children had to decide how to "spend" their allotted viewing hours.
Body mass index, caloric intake and physical activity were monitored every six months. Data were collected on socioeconomic status and characteristics of the neighborhood, including distance to parks, neighborhood activities and perceived neighborhood safety.
Changes in BMI between groups were statistically significant at 6 months and 12 months, but became more modest over time, results showed. The intervention group showed a steady decline in BMI over the two years, while the control group showed an increase followed by a steady decline.
"Although the changes overall were modest," commented Epstein, "a small effect of using this simple and inexpensive intervention [the device costs approximately $100], magnified across the population, may produce important reductions in obesity and obesity-related health problems."
Also contributing to the study from UB were James N. Roemmich, Ph.D., associate professor of pediatrics and exercise and nutrition sciences; Jodie L. Robinson, MBA, senior counselor in the Behavioral Medicine Laboratory; Rocco A. Paluch, statistician in the UB Department of Pediatrics; Dana D. Winiewicz, senior research support specialist in pediatrics; and Janene H. Fuerch, student assistant. Thomas N. Robinson, M.D., M.P.H., from Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, Calif., also contributed to the study.
The research was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Diseases to Epstein and by the UB Behavioral Medicine Laboratory in the UB School of Medicine.
The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system that is its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.
The University at Buffalo
In contrast, children in the control group, whose video time was monitored, but not restricted, reduced their viewing time by only 5 hours per week.
Results of the study appear in the current issue (March 2008) of the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine.
"Our controlled experiment provided a test of whether reducing access to television and computer time led to a reduction in BMI," said Leonard Epstein, UB Distinguished Professor in the departments of Pediatrics, Health Behavior and Social and Preventive Medicine and first author on the study.
"Results showed that watching television and playing computer games can lead to obesity by reducing the amount of time that children are physically active, or by increasing the amount of food they consume as they as engaged in these sedentary behaviors."
The study involved 70 boys and girls between the ages of 4 and 7 whose BMI -- the ratio of weight to height -- was at or above the 75 percentile for age and sex. Eighty percent of the children were above the 85th percentile and nearly half were above the 95th percentile.
The children were assigned randomly to a control group or an intervention group. Each family received a device called TV Allowance for all video outlets in the home. All participants regularly watched television or played computer video games for at least 14 hours per week, as determined during a 3-week pre-study period.
Each family member had a private individual code to activate the electronic devices. Devices in "intervention" homes, but not "control" homes, had a set weekly time limit, which was reduced by 10 percent per week until viewing time was reduced by 50 percent. Children had to decide how to "spend" their allotted viewing hours.
Body mass index, caloric intake and physical activity were monitored every six months. Data were collected on socioeconomic status and characteristics of the neighborhood, including distance to parks, neighborhood activities and perceived neighborhood safety.
Changes in BMI between groups were statistically significant at 6 months and 12 months, but became more modest over time, results showed. The intervention group showed a steady decline in BMI over the two years, while the control group showed an increase followed by a steady decline.
"Although the changes overall were modest," commented Epstein, "a small effect of using this simple and inexpensive intervention [the device costs approximately $100], magnified across the population, may produce important reductions in obesity and obesity-related health problems."
Also contributing to the study from UB were James N. Roemmich, Ph.D., associate professor of pediatrics and exercise and nutrition sciences; Jodie L. Robinson, MBA, senior counselor in the Behavioral Medicine Laboratory; Rocco A. Paluch, statistician in the UB Department of Pediatrics; Dana D. Winiewicz, senior research support specialist in pediatrics; and Janene H. Fuerch, student assistant. Thomas N. Robinson, M.D., M.P.H., from Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, Calif., also contributed to the study.
The research was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Diseases to Epstein and by the UB Behavioral Medicine Laboratory in the UB School of Medicine.
The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system that is its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.
The University at Buffalo
Obesity Current Events and Obesity News RSSNewly identified cells make fat
To understand where fat comes from, you have to start with a skinny mouse. By using such a creature, and observing the growth of fat after injections of different kinds of immature cells, scientists at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Rockefeller University have discovered an important fat precursor cell that may in time explain how changes in the numbers of fat cells might increase and lead to obesity.
Corner stores capture kids on morning commute
In most cities, the corner store, with its chips, soda and candy, is ubiquitous. Convenient for the neighborhood residents, but also researchers are discovering, a major snack source for school age children.
How much are you really exercising?
People struggling with obesity often underestimate how many calories they are actually consuming, which can hinder weight loss efforts. It should follow that the same person would overestimate the amount of exercise they're doing, right?
Duke researchers show reading can help obese kids lose weight
It's no secret that reading is beneficial. But can it help kids lose weight? In the first study to look at the impact of literature on obese adolescents, researchers at Duke Children's Hospital discovered that reading the right type of novel may make a difference.
Mental barriers hamper obese women's efforts to get exercise
For arachnophobes, it's difficult to kill a spider as it scurries across the floor. Those who are scared to fly might not ever set foot on a plane. While nothing physically stops people with these aversions, a mental barrier can keep them from the task at hand.
A little exercise goes a long way for severely obese
A little exercise goes a long way toward helping severely obese individuals improve their quality of life and complete important daily tasks, according to researchers at the Duke Diet and Fitness Center.
H. Pylori bacteria may help prevent some esophageal cancers
Some bacteria may help protect against the development of a type of esophageal cancer, known as adenocarcinoma, according to a new review of the medical literature. These bacteria, which are called Helicobacter pylori, live in the stomachs of humans.
Metabolic syndrome ups colorectal cancer risk
In a large U.S. population-based study presented at the 73rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology, metabolic syndrome patients had a 75 percent higher risk of colorectal cancer compared to those without metabolic syndrome.
Making metabolism more inefficient can reduce obesity
In a discovery that counters prevailing thought, a study in mice has found that inactivating a pair of key genes involved in "fat-burning" can actually increase energy expenditure and help lower diet-induced obesity. These unusual findings, appearing this week in the JBC, might lead to some new roads in weight-loss therapy.
Genes influence effectiveness of weight-loss drug
Obese patients with a specific genetic make-up lose more weight when taking the weight loss drug sibutramine and undergoing behavioral therapy compared to those without this genetic make-up, reports a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute.
More Obesity Current Events and Obesity News Articles
 | Exodus from Obesity: The Guide to Long-Term Success After Weight Loss Surgery by Paula F. Peck In Exodus From Obesity, Paula F. Peck provides the information, encouragement and guidelines for maintaining long-term success after weight loss surgery. Ms. Peck interweaves intelligent discussion with humorous stories about herself and individuals that have faced diet after diet and ultimately chose the gastric bypass procedure. This book is a clear, easy-to-read guide for patients, potential... |
 | Obesity Epidemiology During the past twenty years there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States. An estimated thirty percent of adults in the US are obese; in 1980, only fifteen percent were. The issue is gaining greater attention with the CDC and with the public health world in general. This book will offer practical information about the methodology of epidemiologic studies of obesity,... |
 | The Obesity Myth: Why America's Obsession with Weight is Hazardous to Your Health by Paul Campos “Campos makes his case against the “fat kills” dogma with unimpeachable evidence. The Obesity Myth should be required reading for every health professional in America. I believe any open-minded person who reads this book will conclude that we’ve been duped by a pack of self-serving lies. And we cannot get at the truth without first recognizing those lies. The Obesity Myth is a great place... |
 | Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Obesity: A Clinician's Guide by Zafra Cooper, Christopher G. Fairburn, Deborah M. Hawker The first cognitive-behavioral treatment manual for obesity, this volume presents an innovative therapeutic model currently being evaluated in controlled research at Oxford University. From leading clinical researchers, the approach is specifically designed to overcome a major weakness of existing therapies: posttreatment weight regain. The book details powerful ways to help patients not only to... |
 | The Obesity Epidemic: Science, Morality and Ideology by Michael Gard The Obesity Epidemic adds a much-needed voice of skepticism to the increasingly alarmist debate about weight and health. Gard and Wright show that "obesity" is above all a deeply problematic cultural and political concept, making clear that the social meaning of fat is determined largely by moral and ideological agendas -- agendas that are all the more powerful because they cloak themselves in... |
 | Handbook of Obesity Treatment The contemporary successor to the editors' earlier Obesity: Theory and Therapy, this comprehensive handbook guides mental health, medical, and allied health professionals through the process of planning and delivering individualized treatment services for those seeking help for obesity. Concise, extensively referenced chapters present foundational knowledge and review the full range of widely... |
 | A Complete Guide to Obesity Surgery: Everything You Need to Know About Weight Loss Surgery and How to Succeed by Bryan G. Woodward, MPH, LCEP A Complete Guide to Obesity Surgery is a well-organized, comprehensive tool kit addressing the many issues that surround the surgical treatment of obesity. Readers are provided with an unprecedented accurate step-by-step guide to obesity surgery with accompanying professional illustrations and... |
 | Eating Disorders and Obesity, Second Edition: A Comprehensive Handbook This unique handbook presents and integrates virtually all that is currently known about eating disorders and obesity in one authoritative, accessible, and eminently practical volume. From leading international authorities, 112 concise chapters encapsulate the latest information on all pertinent topics, from biological, psychological, and social processes associated with risk, to clinical methods... |
 | Obesity Cancer &Depression: Their Common Cause & Natural Cure by F. Batmanghelidj This book, the result of over 20 years of research, looks at the conditions of obesity, cancer and depression through a new physiological perspective and offers a new approach in preventing and treating these... |
 | Overcoming Obesity in Childhood and Adolescence: A Guide for School Leaders by Donald Schumacher, J. Allen Queen "Makes a distinct contribution to the field with the timeliness of the subject matter, the severity and demands of the issue addressed, and the need for more resources addressing this subject."-Stephanie Slowik, School Counselor, West Lake Elementary School, Apex, NC "Demonstrates the challenges that principals face today."-James Gostomski, Physical Education Teacher, Verde Elementary School,... |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |