Computer use doesn't make kids fat: report
TT/The Local - [email protected]
Published: 10 Mar, 2010 CET.
Updated: Wed 10 Mar 2010 15:30 CET
Children who spend long periods in front of the television run a far higher risk of being overweight than those spending a long time in front of computer, a new survey of Lund school children has shown.
The study was conducted by school nurse Pernilla Garmy, who reviewed the answers provided in a questionnaire sent out to all primary school children in the southern Swedish town.
"The results are conclusive," she told local newspaper Metro Skåne.
The study shows that the risk of being overweight is directly affected by whether there was a television in the room, whereas long periods spent in front of the computer had no bearing on a child's weight.
One theory for the survey results posits that using a computer demands more activity from a user -- who may be chatting or playing games -- than watching television, a passive exercise that lends itself to snacking.
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The study was conducted by school nurse Pernilla Garmy, who reviewed the answers provided in a questionnaire sent out to all primary school children in the southern Swedish town.
"The results are conclusive," she told local newspaper Metro Skåne.
The study shows that the risk of being overweight is directly affected by whether there was a television in the room, whereas long periods spent in front of the computer had no bearing on a child's weight.
One theory for the survey results posits that using a computer demands more activity from a user -- who may be chatting or playing games -- than watching television, a passive exercise that lends itself to snacking.
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