Children who get little sleep and spend many hours on their PlayStations mostly gain excessive weight, research has revealed.
The research, presented at European and International Conference on Obesity (ECOICO), followed more than 4000 children in eight different countries. The participants were aged two to 11 respectively.
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During the conference, parents lamented how much time their children spent on average watching TV, playing games consoles, using a mobile, computer or tablet, and sleeping each day as such the risk of brain damage could be much higher for children.
Dr Viveka Guzman, from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, who led the research said “Sleep is an often undervalued but important part of children’s development, with a regular lack of sleep causing a variety of health problems.
“Our findings suggest that sleep duration plays a role in the link between screen time and overweight.”
Cutting down the amount of time youngsters spend on electronics could help them sleep longer and eat better, Mail Online reports .
Dr Muhammed Shamsudeen said current evidence in various researches suggests that screen media leads to obesity in children and adolescents through an increase in eating while viewing or exposure to high calorie, low nutrient food and beverages marketing that influences children.
He said obesity is one of the most challenging public health problems facing both developed and developing countries worldwide.
He advised parents with youngsters to show concern towards their children, especially when they notice a sudden change in weight.
“Be a good role model to encourage your children in keeping to physical activities because children learn from good examples. Make sure they eat healthy meals, drinks and snacks then less screen time and more sleep,” he said.
