Page 16
The INDEPENDENT, April 7, 2011
Reminder: National Turn Off Your TV Week starts on April 19
National Turn It Off Week is
April 19-24.
Did you know?
• Average number of TVs per
household: 3
• Number of TV murders ele-
mentary-aged children see:
8,000
• Households with no TV
rules: 53%
• Kids who have a TV in their
bedroom: 68%
• How much more likely
these kids are to smoke ciga-
rettes than kids who don’t have
a TV in their bedroom: 3.5
times.
Love it or hate it, TV is part
of American family life. Ameri-
cans watch three to four hours
of TV daily. This time includes
watching prerecorded movies,
playing video games and surf-
ing the Internet, sometimes si-
multaneously.
We undeniably enjoy these
activities, which can be relax-
ing, entertaining and education-
al. Like too much of any good
thing, however, research sug-
gests that the amount of time
we spend in front of the screen
can have negative conse-
quences:
• We are more likely to snack
on high-calorie foods while
watching TV and less likely to
be physically active.
• No other waking activity
burns fewer calories than
watching TV – not even other
sedentary activities like playing
video games, reading and talk-
ing on the phone.
• Adults who watch three
hours of TV a day are far more
likely to be obese than adults
who watch less than one hour.
The same goes for children.
The risk for becoming and re-
maining overweight before the
age of 9 increases with the
amount of TV time.
National Turn It Off Week,
April 19-24, is a good time to
take a look at your family’s
viewing habits. How many
hours are spent in front of a TV
or computer screen compared
to other activities?
• Instead of turning on the
TV and plopping down on the
couch, gather the family and
come up with a list of alterna-
tive activities (see suggestions
below). Jot down lots of ideas
and post them on the refrigera-
tor.
• Make changes gradually.
Set limits. Experts recommend
no more than two hours a day
of recreational TV, computers,
video games and DVDs for
kids.
• Going “cold turkey” can
backfire. We crave what we
can’t have.
• Know what your children,
at any age, are watching –
whether it’s cartoons, sitcoms,
sports, news or educational
programs. Talk to them about
what they’re seeing. Ask open-
ended questions.
• Take TVs out of bedrooms.
Sleeping with the TV on, even
with the sound off, can disrupt
sleep patterns and contribute to
fatigue. Kids who have TV sets
in their bedrooms also score
lower in math, reading and lan-
guage arts than kids who don’t.
• Turn off the TV during
meals. Use the time to talk
about everyone’s day.
Source: Sara Gable, Ph.D., Hu-
man Development & Family Stud-
ies, University of Missouri Exten-
sion
Just for Fun
Casey and Kyle by Will Robertson
Solve this Sudoku
A n s w e r t o M a rc h 1 7
Sudoku is on page 22
“A” i s f o r A p r i l a n d a n t e a t e r.
Help the anteater find the
ant hill.
A youth is
to be re-
garded with
respect.
How do you
know that
his future
will not be
equal
to
our pres-
ent.
CONFUCIUS
Chinese
philosopher
(551-479 BC)