Television in the bedroom and increased body weight: potential explanations for their relationship among European schoolchildren.

摘要

What is already known about this subject A television in the bedroom is associated with obesity. Televisions are present in the bedrooms of many children. Little is known about the mechanisms linking bedroom televisions and body weight in children. What this study adds A television in the bedroom was positively associated with television viewing time, soft drink consumption and obesity. The relationship between a bedroom television and body size was partly mediated by television viewing time but not sleep duration, physical activity time or soft drink consumption.A television in the bedroom is associated with measures of adiposity. We aimed to test if this association is mediated by any of (i) time spent watching television, (ii) sleep duration, (iii) physical activity level or (iv) consumption of soft drinks.Data were from 7234 boys and girls aged 10-12 years in European countries involved in the EuropeaN Energy balance Research to prevent excessive weight Gain among Youth project (Belgium, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia and Spain). Waist circumference, height and weight were measured. The presence of a bedroom television, television viewing time, sleep duration, physical activity time and soft drink consumption were assessed by standardized questionnaires.Almost 40% of schoolchildren had a bedroom television, with the highest percentage among Hungarian children (65%) and lowest for Belgian, Slovenian and Spanish children (all ≈28%). A television in the bedroom was positively associated with time spent watching television, soft drink consumption and overweight and obesity (all P?