Television Viewing and Food Choices

the more time children spend watching television, the poorer their food choices tend to be. A study published online in the  October 2014 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition examined data from over 10,000 adolescents covering 2004, 2006, and 2008 as part of the Growing Up Today Study II. The authors found that each hour-per-day increase in television, electronic games, and DVDs/videos was associated with increased intake of total low quality foods, i.e., sugar-sweetened beverages, fast food, sweets, salty snacks., and a decreased intake of fruit and vegetables. Television was most consistently associated with dietary changes. Is it the advertising for junk food on television? Is it that families who allow children to watch a lot of TV tend to be families who don't eat well? Questions that remain for another study.