Consuming more than just stories: Does what children watch on TV while eating influence how much they eat?

Abstract

Television (TV) viewing is a risk factor for obesity in children. This is partly due to its promotion of energy intake by distracting from normal satiety signals. Children are exposed to a variety of TV programs which differ in features such as pacing. This is reason to believe that different children’s TV shows distract to varying degrees, and can therefore influence energy intake to different extents. We suggest that future research should examine how different TV shows influence energy intake in children. Such research could help identify new ways to protect children from the negative effects of TV viewing on caloric intake and ultimately body weight.