A British researcher says television and video games are not to blame for childhood obesity.
Stuart Biddle, professor of exercise and sport psychology at Loughborough University, says the real problem may be that children are being driven to school instead of riding their bikes and walking, the London Telegraph reported.
A study of more than 1,500 12- to 16-year-olds found that teenagers who spend more time than average in front of the television are just as active as those who do not, he said. The teens watched the most television in the three hours after school.
Biddle said the teenagers who weren't not active during the three hours up to around 6:30p.m. were probably not going to be very active overall.
The 12-to-16-year-olds spent an average of about 40 minutes a day "in motorized transport," the newspaper said.
"If you look at the decline in walking and cycling among children it is far more dramatic than any changes in TV watching trends," Biddle said.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
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