Homework #5
“Videos, TV, and Computer Games Oh My”
Evaluating your media time and encouraging
a healthy environment for physical activity
Objective:
Students will keep a 7-day journal of media viewing time. This will include time spent watching TV, movies, playing on the Internet, and playing video games. Parents will be given literature that discusses recommended media viewing times, the importance of eating dinner as a family or at the table, as well as the adverse health affects associated with excess media time. Parents and students will review the 7-day journal and decide what measures should be taken to ensure appropriate media time. Parents will be encouraged to make a TV, Internet, and video gaming schedule to balance physical activities with TV watching.
Student Assignment: 7 Days
On the following page, keep a journal of all of your media activity for seven days. Media activities include time spent watching TV or videos, Internet and computer time, and time spent playing video games. In the column for each day, record media activities you participated in, and write down the duration of time you spent participating in these activities. The following is an example of how to record media time in your journal.
Sunday | Monday | Tuesday |
TV Shows and Time Cartoons 1 hour Football Game 3 hours Harry Potter 2 hours | TV Shows and Time Cartoons 1 hour American Idol 1 hour | TV Shows and Time Cartoons 1 30 minutes Disney Channel 1 hour Basketball game 2 hours |
Computer and Internet Time 1 hour | Computer and Internet Time 20 minutes | Computer and Internet Time None |
Video Games and Time Mario Galaxy 1 hour 30 minutes Wii Sports 1 hour | Video Games and Time Super Mario Galaxy 2 hours | Video Games and Time None |
Media Journal
Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
TV Shows and Time | TV Shows and Time | TV Shows and Time | TV Shows and Time | TV Shows and Time | TV Shows and Time | TV Shows and Time |
Computer and Internet Time | Computer and Internet Time | Computer and Internet Time | Computer and Internet Time | Computer and Internet Time | Computer and Internet Time | Computer and Internet Time |
Video Games and Time | Video Games and Time | Video Games and Time | Video Games and Time | Video Games and Time | Video Games and Time | Video Games and Time |
Directions: In the chart above, enter each television program, video game and computer activity you participate in or watch and put the amount of time you spent doing each activity. For example, if you watched cartoons for one hour on Monday, write “Cartoons- 1 Hour” under TV shows and time for Monday.
Parent Assignment: 15 minutes
Your child has completed a media journal on the previous page. In this journal your child has recorded all of the media activities they have participated in during a one-week period. They have also recorded the duration of time they have spent on each activity. Media time is considered time spent watching TV or videos, using the computer, or playing video games. Review your child’s media journal and calculate the amount of time they spent each day participating in media activities. Read the following article on media viewing and decide if your child’s media viewing time exceeds the recommended media time of two hours a day.
Article on Television and Media Time
Television — Television viewing is one of the greatest and most well supported environmental influences on the development of obesity during childhood. The amount of time spent watching television is directly related to the prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents. In two long-term studies (longitudinal cohort studies), television viewing in children older than 5 years was independently associated with being overweight or obese later in life. Other studies have shown that adolescents who watch more then 2 hours of television a day are more than twice as likely to be overweight, and adolescents who watch more than 5 hours of television a day are more than eight times as likely to be overweight. There are several reasons for this association between increased weight and television viewing time. These factors include:
Displacement of physical activity- Watching television takes away from time spent doing other activities that involve physical exercise such as riding a bike, playing sports or going to the park. Watching television promotes a sedentary lifestyle with little movement or energy expenditure.
Depression of metabolic rate- Because television viewing promotes a lack of exercise, it also decreases metabolic rate. Metabolic rate is the rate at which the body breaks down food and uses it for energy. If food is not broken down and used for energy (during exercise) it is stored in the body in other forms such as fat, which can lead to obesity.
Adverse effects on diet quality- Multiple studies have confirmed that individuals who watch excessive television also consume more food while they are watching TV or directly after watching television. One randomized trial showed that overweight 4-7 year-old children who did nothing but watch less television and spend less time on the computer had a decrease in both their food consumption and their body weight. Similar associations between television viewing and energy intake have been shown in studies of older and non-overweight youth.
Video games — The use of video games is also associated with childhood obesity. In the few studies that have looked at the association between video games and obesity, the association is somewhat weaker for electronic games than for television, however there was still a strong correlation between video gaming and increased weight.
A few video games have been specifically designed to provide nutritional education and encourage healthy habits. Others require interactive physical activity by the player. Activity-enhancing games generally cause a small increase in energy expenditure during playing time. Two studies examined some of the most commonly used games and found that energy expenditure of playing active games was higher than that of sedentary games, but not as high as playing the simulated sport itself. In general, the activity levels of the games were comparable to moderate-intensity walking, and not of sufficiently high intensity to contribute to the recommended daily amount of exercise for children. A small study reported that use of one of these games had no long-term effect on obesity status, and that use of the game declined sharply over time. Otherwise, the efficacy of these games to increase physical activity or treat obesity has not been systematically studied.
The following are helpful tips from the USDA to help control media time in your home:
• | Limit TV and screen time to less than 2 hours daily, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. | |
• | Try to make inactive time reading time rather than TV or video gaming time. |
As a parent, you have an impact on your child’s behaviors and activities. Be a role model and try to limit your own time spent sitting, such as watching TV. Your child will learn that being physically active is part of a healthy life.
Helpful guidelines:
• | After 60 minutes of inactivity (such as watching TV) have your child get up and do something active for a while. | |
• | Avoid having the TV on during mealtimes. There is a direct correlation between eating while you watch TV and an unhealthy diet that leads to obesity. Eating together at mealtime as a family has also been shown to reduce childhood obesity and increase healthy dietary habits. | |
• | Only put TVs in family rooms. Don’t put a TV in your child’s bedroom. This helps your child spend less time watching TV. |
Sources
1. Klish, William J., Definitions; epidemiology; and etiology of obesity in children and adolescents. Up To Date 2011. www.uptodate.com
2. Kaur. H Choi WS, Mayo MS, Harrisk J. Duration of television watching is associated with body mass index. Journal of Pediatric medicine 2003:143(4):506-11.
3. Gortmaker SL, Television viewing as a cause of increasing obesity among children in the United States. Archives of adolescent medicine. 1996:150(4):356-62.
4. USDA My Plate. www.choosemyplate.gov
Parent and Student Combined Assignment: 30 Minutes
1) Review your media journal with your parents and talk about the amount of time you spend watching television, playing video games and using the computer. Do you spend more than two hours a day watching television and using other sources of media?
2) What television programs and video games do you want to continue watching on a daily or weekly basis? Which programs, games, and media sources are you willing to decrease in your daily life?
3) Name 10 activities that you enjoy doing that do not involve watching television, playing video games, or using the computer. How can you incorporate more of these activities into your daily life? How might you incorporate more exercise into your daily activities?
4) How many times does your family eat dinner together every week? Do you eat dinner without the television on? How might you plan your schedule so that you can eat dinner together as a family without watching television?
5) On the following page make a media schedule where you outline your media time each day for the following week. Remember to limit your media time to 2 hours a day. If you schedule more than 2 hours a day (the weekend) make sure you also schedule extra time for exercise and physical activity
Media Schedule
Directions: In the chart below, create a one-week schedule for media activities. In this schedule include activities such as video gaming, watching TV and playing on the computer. Discus with your child the activities and TV programs that are most important, and include those activities in the schedule. When creating this schedule, try to limit media activities to two hours or less per day. If media activities exceed two hours (for example the weekend), make sure that 30 minutes of additional physical activity is scheduled for every additional hour of media time. If possible write down the time each media activity will start and end. For example, every Monday night from 7:30 to 8:30 you can watch TV. Every Tuesday and Thursday you can play video games for 1 hour from 4:00 to 5:00.
Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | ||||
Media Activity | Time | Media Activity | Time | Media Activity | Time | Media Activity | Time |
Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Exercise for the Week | ||||
Media Activity | Time | Media Activity | Time | Media Activity | Time | ||
