TV instead of outdoor play activities 'affects academic performance'
06/05/2010 Toddlers who spend their hours in front of the TV instead of taking part in outdoor play activities could face problems in school, according to the New York Times.
The newspaper reports the results of a study published in The Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine which suggested too much time spent in front of the box can have a detrimental effect on academic performance.
Carried out on over 1,300 Canadian children, the study concluded that by the time kids were in their fourth years at school those who spent the most time watching TV were more likely to achieve lower grades, suffer worse health and have more problems with bullies.
Lead author Linda Pagani from the University of Montreal, told the news provider: "There is a lot of brain development and habits that are forming from zero to five years of age."
Dr Linda Voss, coordinator of the EarlyBird Diabetes Study, said recently that parents should be encouraging their children to spend more time exercising outdoors to help them learn the lessons which will help them stay healthy later in life.
The newspaper reports the results of a study published in The Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine which suggested too much time spent in front of the box can have a detrimental effect on academic performance.
Carried out on over 1,300 Canadian children, the study concluded that by the time kids were in their fourth years at school those who spent the most time watching TV were more likely to achieve lower grades, suffer worse health and have more problems with bullies.
Lead author Linda Pagani from the University of Montreal, told the news provider: "There is a lot of brain development and habits that are forming from zero to five years of age."
Dr Linda Voss, coordinator of the EarlyBird Diabetes Study, said recently that parents should be encouraging their children to spend more time exercising outdoors to help them learn the lessons which will help them stay healthy later in life.
