Thursday, March 28 2024

Experts recommend that children be kept from watching too much television.
So many hours spent in front of a screen can be damaging. This is pubic
knowledge.

A recent study by the University of Saragozza (Spain) as well as one from
San Paulo in Brazil confirms this thesis with a scientific foundation.
Children that watch television or that sit in front of game consuls for
more than two hours a day are at much greater risk of suffering from
hypertension in comparison with their peers. The research was conducted
with more than 5,000 children, between the ages of two and ten years old,
who came from eight different European countries.

The countries are Spain, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Cyprus, Estonia,
Switzerland, and Belgium. The research, called IDEFICS (Identification and
Prevention of Dietary and Lifestyle Induced Health Effects in Children and
Infants) was recently published in the


International Journal of Cardiology


.

The researchers wanted to show, with scientific support, precisely what
everyone—whether expert or not—has hitherto thought. They sought to
establish whether a direct correlation exists between hypertension (the
clinical condition in which blood pressure in the arteries is elevated) and
the amount of time a child is exposed to the TV. The research showed that
this effect was verified in 110 out of 1000 cases, that is, more than one
in ten children. For exposure to the computer or videogames, an incredible
30% higher risk of problems with hypertension was recorded.

“The study shows the number of new cases of hypertension and the connection
between physical activity, different sedentary habits, and the risk of high
blood pressure in European children,” said the Brazilian Scholar Augusto
César F. de Moraes, one of the ten members on the research team, in a
declaration to the media. Not only that, however. The authors of the study
caution that such conditions could open the doors to more serious
cardiovascular problems throughout the years, such as a greater risk for
ischemic heart disease.

What can be done? What are the possible remedies and concrete solutions to
adopt, beyond the usual advice experts offer—which parents often do not
heed? The answer comes directly from the researchers themselves. It is the
old, yet ever effective, invitation to take part in physical activity.
Children, and I would say adolescents in general, should take part of
physical activities for more than one hour a day. Additionally, they should
not spend more than two hours a day in sedentary activities such as
watching television or playing videogames. Physical activity in fact
increases the rate of oxygenation of the heart in our bodies, which in turn
decreases arterial pressure, producing general benefits for our whole
organism.

A good supplement to physical activity is for example reading a book,
perhaps to comment upon as a family with discussion and debate. This
facilitates the development of a critical mind and capacity to articulate
oneself in children, which is essential for performing well in studies and
for life in general.

So parents, what are you waiting for? It’s spring! Go outside with your
children and have a nice run in the park, or perhaps a game of ball, and
turn off—at least for today—the videogames.

Previous

Is Dostoyevsky still relevant? Conference gives an interdisciplinary perspective to his works

Next

Grave Consequences of the Exposition of Adolescents to Sexual Content in the Media

Check Also