Britain's couch potato kids spend hours in front of the TV before going to School

Brittany Walker

4/26/09

1:00pm


Britain's couch potato kids spend hours in front of the TV before they even get to school, according to a shocking new survey. Findings show almost one in two children watch programs or play non-active video games in the early morning. When they return home from school most kids stay on the couch, with just one in five doing something active after their evening meal. Change4Life’s How Are The Kids survey is the biggest national survey of kids diet and activity levels. The survey found kids watched TV or played non-active video games before school in 45 per cent of families taking part.It also revealed that only 22 per cent of children do something active after their tea. Guidelines recommend a total of at least 60 minutes of at least moderate intensity physical activity each day, with activities to improve bone health, muscle strength and flexibility at least twice a week. The ad features the Change4Life family as they reveal that ‘sitting around doing nothing’ can lead to a build up of fat in their bodies that can cause diseases such as type two diabetes, cancer and heart disease.The family should find lots of fun ways to get their kids the 60 active minutes they need each day, activities such as playing in the park, walking to school and playing with active computer games where kids need to jump around as part of the game.

After reading this article I disagree with the parents in Britain who allow their kids to watch TV or play non-active video games every morning before going to school. I do think that it is ok to a certain point. If the TV program or the video game is educational and benefits the child in an educational way then I believe that it is ok for the child. However I do think there needs to be a time limit or the child should be restricted to watching a certain number of TV programs in the mornings because being engaged in too much television can lead to several health problems. As statistics show sitting around watching tv and doing nothing can lead to a build up of fat in their bodies that can cause diseases such as type two diabetes, cancer, and heart disease, engaging in at least 60 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity each day can greatly decrease these risk factors.