Too Much TV, Too Much Fast Food

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Teens who watch too much television are more likely to eat fast food, a new study finds.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota interviewed almost 2,000 high school and middle school students to investigate the link between television and diet. They found heavier viewers had poorer eating habits five years in the future.

"To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the association between television viewing and diet over the transition from adolescence into young adulthood," Daheia Barr-Anderson, Ph.D, an assistant professor of the University of Minnesota, was quoted as saying.

Teenagers who watched more then five hours of television daily had a lower intake of healthy foods like fruits and vegetables and a higher intake of fast foods.

"The potential negative impacts of advertising and marketing campaigns on dietary quality and purchasing behavior show that, as well as devising interventions to reduce television viewing time, we need to promote healthy food choices, in general and while watching television, to overcome harmful media influences," Dr. Barr-Anderson said.

SOURCE: International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity; 2009;6:7

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