Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 26, 2026

Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
09:36

Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study

Published on: February 2, 2017

Effect of television viewing on pediatric obesity

Guan-Sheng Ma1, Yan-Ping Li, Xiao-Qi Hu

  • 1Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100050, China. mgs@public.bta.net.cn

Biomedical and Environmental Sciences : BES
|March 20, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Increased television viewing time is linked to a higher risk of pediatric obesity in urban China. This study highlights television viewing as an independent risk factor for childhood obesity.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Pediatrics
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Childhood obesity is a growing global concern.
  • Understanding environmental factors influencing pediatric obesity is crucial for effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between television viewing habits and the prevalence of obesity among children in urban China.

Main Methods:

  • A stratified multistage cluster random sampling method was employed.
  • Data were collected via questionnaire surveys from 9,356 children and their parents.
  • Standardized measurements of children's height and weight were conducted by trained personnel.

Main Results:

  • The prevalence of obesity increased with greater daily television viewing durations.
  • Children watching over 3 hours of television daily had a 15.1% obesity rate.
  • Each additional hour of television viewing correlated with a 1%-2% rise in obesity prevalence.

Conclusions:

  • Television viewing time is directly associated with an increased risk of pediatric obesity.
  • Television viewing is identified as an independent risk factor for childhood obesity in this population.
Abstract

More Related Videos

Breakfast Habits among Schoolchildren in the City of Uruguaiana, Brazil06:48

Breakfast Habits among Schoolchildren in the City of Uruguaiana, Brazil

Published on: July 29, 2020

Palatable Western-style Cafeteria Diet as a Reliable Method for Modeling Diet-induced Obesity in Rodents09:10

Palatable Western-style Cafeteria Diet as a Reliable Method for Modeling Diet-induced Obesity in Rodents

Published on: November 1, 2019

Related Concept Videos

Obesity01:24

Obesity

The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a numerical value derived from a person's weight and height, used to categorize individuals into weight ranges. It is calculated using the formula: weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. Obesity is a health condition characterized by excessive accumulation of adipose tissue that poses health risks, often diagnosed with a BMI ≥ 30. This excess fat storage occurs when surplus dietary calories are converted into triglycerides and stored in adipocytes...
Binge Eating Disorders01:23

Binge Eating Disorders

Binge eating disorder is a significant mental health condition characterized by recurrent episodes of excessive food consumption within a short period, accompanied by a perceived loss of control over eating behavior. Unlike occasional overeating, binge eating disorder is marked by distressing emotions such as guilt, shame, and anxiety following binge episodes. The disorder affects individuals across different ages and backgrounds, with profound implications for physical and psychological...
Cause and Effect01:53

Cause and Effect

While variables are sometimes correlated because one does cause the other, it could also be that some other factor, a confounding variable, is actually causing the systematic movement in our variables of interest. For instance, as sales in ice cream increase, so does the overall rate of crime. Is it possible that indulging in your favorite flavor of ice cream could send you on a crime spree? Or, after committing crime do you think you might decide to treat yourself to a cone?
Group Design02:01

Group Design

The most basic experimental design involves two groups: the experimental group and the control group. The two groups are designed to be the same except for one difference— experimental manipulation. The experimental group gets the experimental manipulation—that is, the treatment or variable being tested—and the control group does not. Since experimental manipulation is the only difference between the experimental and control groups, we can be sure that any differences between the two are due to...
Nature and Nurture01:10

Nature and Nurture

Many human characteristics, like height, are shaped by both nature—in other words, by our genes—and by nurture, or our environment. For example, chronic stress during childhood inhibits the production of growth hormones and consequently reduces bone growth and height. Scientists estimate that 70-90% of variation in height is due to genetic differences among individuals, and 10-30% of variation in height is due to differences in the environments that individuals experience, such as differences...
Bullying02:04

Bullying

A modern form of aggression is bullying. As you learn in your study of child development, socializing and playing with other children is beneficial for children’s psychological development. However, as you may have experienced as a child, not all play behavior has positive outcomes. Some children are aggressive and want to play roughly. Other children are selfish and do not want to share toys. One form of negative social interactions among children that has become a national concern is bullying.