The longer children watch television, the more weight they are expected to gain, according to a survey conducted recently by the Tianjin-based Aimin Hospital, a medical center specializing in treating obesity.
During a random survey of 2,000 children, the hospital found 31. 2 percent of the them who watch television for more than three hours everyday are excessively overweight for their age, and each additional hour was found to lead to a 1.8 percent rise in the rate of obesity.
Zhou, a 12-year-old girl in the Heping District of Tianjin, saw a surprising increase of 12 kilograms in her weight within two weeks of the summer vacation beginning this month.
The girl watched TV for seven to eight hours a day, and ate a lot of chocolates and fried potato chips, sources said.
Children's indulgence in watching television results in a sharp reduction in their movement, which makes their redundant energy turn into fat, experts explained.
In addition, the food which children eat when watching television is usually of low nutritional value but high in calories, which will be more easily turned into fat, they added.
Parents should take measures to stop children from watching television for too long for the sake of their health, experts suggested.
(Xinhua 07/26/2001)
