Day 17 Message For Parents
Bedroom TVs
Researchers at the University Of Minnesota School Of Public Health studied a group of 781 adolescents, ages 15 to 18, regarding the effects of having a TV in the bedroom. The researchers found that teens with a bedroom TV were more apt to be heavy TV watchers clocking four to five more hours of TV time per week than teens with no TV in the bedroom. The findings were published in the April, 2008, issue of the journal Pediatrics. Girls with a bedroom television get less vigorous exercise -- 1.8 hours per week compared to 2.5 hours for girls without a TV. They also ate fewer vegetables, drank more sweetened beverages and ate meals with their family less often. Boys with a bedroom TV had a lower grade point average than boys without one, as well as eating less fruit and having fewer family meals, according to the findings. The study also found significant differences across, gender, ethnicity and household income. 82% of black teens reported having a bedroom TV, compared to 66 percent of Hispanics, 60 percent of whites and 39 percent of Asian Americans. Boys were more likely to have a television in their bedroom than girls -- 68 percent versus 58 percent. Teens from the highest income families were far less likely than those from all other income levels to have a bedroom TV. The lead researcher, Daheia Barr-Anderson, commented: "It really clearly points out that there's some merit to not allowing your child to have a TV in the bedroom". The American Academy of Pediatrics urges parents to remove TV sets from children's bedrooms and to limit TV, computer game and internet time combined to 2 hours per day. All of us at The Wholefood Farmacy wish to thank you for being a parent who cares about the health and wellness of your children and teens. Small changes made now can make a BIG difference in the life of your children. We need your help to spread the word and to make other parents aware of the latest scientific research. Thank you,
The Wholefood Farmacy Team | 
