MINNEAPOLIS, April 7 (UPI) -- Teens with a television in the bedroom are less physically active, eat less produce, drink more soda and eat fewer family meals, a U.S. study found.
"The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents remove television sets from their children's bedrooms," first author Daheia Barr-Anderson of the University of Minnesota said in a statement. "Despite this recommendation, almost two-thirds of our sample had a bedroom TV, which appears to be a factor for less than optimal behavior."
Compared with girls without a bedroom television, girls with a bedroom television reported less time spent in vigorous activity, more time spent watching television -- 20.7 hours/weeks versus 15.2 -- lower vegetable intake, greater sweetened beverage consumption and fewer family meals.
Compared with boys without a bedroom television, boys with a bedroom television reported more time spent watching television -- 22.2 vs 18.2 hours/week, lower fruit intake, fewer family meals and lower grade-point average.
The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, said refraining from placing a television in teenagers' rooms may be a first step in helping to decrease screen time and subsequent poor behaviors associated with increased television watching.
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