Otago University research, just published in the journal Pediatrics, has drawn on decades of longitudinal data to find that children who watched more TV were more likely to develop metabolic syndrome as an adult. Photo / iStock
Otago University research, just published in the journal Pediatrics, has drawn on decades of longitudinal data to find that children who watched more TV were more likely to develop metabolic syndrome as an adult. Photo / iStock
It’s among Kiwi parents’ biggest worries – and now it’s something researchers have linked to poorer health in adulthood.
That’s kids spending too much time watching screens, which, according to recent studies, the average Kiwi child does for 23 minutes of every hour outside of school.
New Otago University research, just published in the journal Pediatrics, has drawn on decades of longitudinal data to find that children who watched more TV were more likely to develop metabolic syndrome as an adult.
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions including high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat, and abnormal cholesterol levels that lead to an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke.
Using data from 879 participants of the world-famous Dunedin Study, the researchers found those who watched more television between the ages of 5 and 15 were more likely to have these conditions at age 45.
Television viewing times were asked at ages 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15.
On average, they watched just over two hours per weekday.
“Those who watched the most had a higher risk of metabolic syndrome in adulthood,” said the study’s lead author, Professor Bob Hancox, of Otago’s Department of Preventive and Social Medicine.
“More childhood television viewing time was also associated with a higher risk of overweight and obesity and lower physical fitness.”
Boys watched slightly more television than girls and metabolic syndrome was more common in men, than women – or 34 per cent and 20 per cent respectively.
But the link between childhood television viewing time and adult metabolic syndrome was seen in both sexes - and could even be stronger in women.
There was little evidence that watching less television as an adult reduced the association between childhood television viewing and adult health.
“While, like any observational study, researchers cannot prove that the association between television viewing at a young age directly causes adult metabolic syndrome, there are several plausible mechanisms by which longer television viewing times could lead to poorer long-term health,” Hancox said.
“Television viewing has low energy expenditure and could displace physical activity and reduce sleep quality.
“Screentime may also promote higher energy intake, with children consuming more sugar-sweetened beverages and high-fat dietary products with fewer fruit and vegetables.
“These habits may persist into adulthood.”
“Children today have far more access to screen-based entertainment and spend much more time being sedentary,” Otago University's Professor Bob Hancox says. Photo / Otago University
That screentime among children had increased over recent years with technology only made the new findings more important.
Earlier this month, researchers revealed kids were spending about a third of after-school time on screens, exposing youngsters to cyberbullying, harmful sexualised content and inappropriate advertising for sectors such as alcohol and gambling.
YouTube and Netflix are the most popular websites, with one in three children under 14 using social media, most commonly TikTok, which is rated R13.
High rates of screen time raised health concerns because they displaced activities like active play and sleep, while negatively affecting a child’s ability to focus their attention and regulate their behaviour and emotions.
In March, Health insurer nib New Zealand released findings from its annual State of the Nation Parenting Survey that showed technology use and the impact of screen time was the number one concern for 70 per cent of parents.
Half of those parents surveyed said children spent too much time on devices, and 66 per cent admitted relying on screens as a bargaining chip and distraction tool for children.
Seventy per cent of parents had taken action: limiting kids’ screen time (52 per cent) and taking away devices as punishment (57 per cent).
“Children today have far more access to screen-based entertainment and spend much more time being sedentary,” Hancox said.
“These findings lend support to the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendation that children and young teenagers should limit their recreational screen time.”
The WHO advises children aged 2 to 4 should not have more than one hour of screen time per day, while kids younger than 2 shouldn’t have any.
