Thursday, September 06, 2007
Childhood TV viewing linked to teen attention problems
I saw this and i wanted to pass this along to you all in cyberspace.
NewScientist.com news service
Reuters and New Scientist staff :
Watching television more than two hours a day early in life can lead to attention problems later in adolescence, according to a large long-term study.
The roughly 40% increase in attention problems among "heavy" TV viewers was observed in both boys and girls, and was independent of whether a diagnosis of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder was made prior to adolescence.
"Those who watched more than two hours, and particularly those who watched more than three hours, of television per day during childhood had above-average symptoms of attention problems in adolescence," Erik Landhuis of the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, wrote in his report, published in Pediatrics on Tuesday.
Symptoms of attention problems included short attention span, poor concentration, and being easily distracted. The findings could not be explained by early-life attention difficulties, socio-economic factors, or intelligence, says the team.
"This latest study adds to the growing body of evidence that suggests parents should take steps to limit the amount of TV their children watch," adds Bob Hancox, one of the researchers.
Mundane reality
The team studied the long-term habits and behaviours of more than 1000 children born in Dunedin, between April 1972 and March 1973. The children aged 5 to 11 watched an average of 2.05 hours of weekday television. From age 13 to 15, time spent in front of the television rose to an average of 3.1 hours a day.
Young children who watched a lot of television were more likely to continue the habit as they got older, but even if they did not, the damage was done, the study said.
"This suggests that the effects of childhood viewing on attention may be long lasting," Landhuis notes. He offers several possible explanations for the association.
One is that the rapid scene changes common to many TV programs may overstimulate the developing brain of a young child, and could make reality seem boring by comparison.
"Hence, children who watch a lot of television may become less tolerant of slower-paced and more mundane tasks, such as school work," he writes.
Net effects
It is also possible that TV viewing may supplant other activities that promote concentration, such as reading, games, sports and play, he says. The lack of participation inherent in TV watching might also condition children when it comes to other activities.
The study is not proof that TV viewing causes attention problems, Landhuis notes, because it may be that children prone to attention problems may be drawn to watching television. "However, our results show that the net effect of television seems to be adverse."
Previous studies have linked the sedentary habit of TV watching among children to obesity and diabetes, amongst other public health issues, see Childhood TV and gaming is 'major public health issue).
What is your opinion?
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NewScientist.com news service
Reuters and New Scientist staff :
Watching television more than two hours a day early in life can lead to attention problems later in adolescence, according to a large long-term study.
The roughly 40% increase in attention problems among "heavy" TV viewers was observed in both boys and girls, and was independent of whether a diagnosis of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder was made prior to adolescence.
"Those who watched more than two hours, and particularly those who watched more than three hours, of television per day during childhood had above-average symptoms of attention problems in adolescence," Erik Landhuis of the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, wrote in his report, published in Pediatrics on Tuesday.
Symptoms of attention problems included short attention span, poor concentration, and being easily distracted. The findings could not be explained by early-life attention difficulties, socio-economic factors, or intelligence, says the team.
"This latest study adds to the growing body of evidence that suggests parents should take steps to limit the amount of TV their children watch," adds Bob Hancox, one of the researchers.
Mundane reality
The team studied the long-term habits and behaviours of more than 1000 children born in Dunedin, between April 1972 and March 1973. The children aged 5 to 11 watched an average of 2.05 hours of weekday television. From age 13 to 15, time spent in front of the television rose to an average of 3.1 hours a day.
Young children who watched a lot of television were more likely to continue the habit as they got older, but even if they did not, the damage was done, the study said.
"This suggests that the effects of childhood viewing on attention may be long lasting," Landhuis notes. He offers several possible explanations for the association.
One is that the rapid scene changes common to many TV programs may overstimulate the developing brain of a young child, and could make reality seem boring by comparison.
"Hence, children who watch a lot of television may become less tolerant of slower-paced and more mundane tasks, such as school work," he writes.
Net effects
It is also possible that TV viewing may supplant other activities that promote concentration, such as reading, games, sports and play, he says. The lack of participation inherent in TV watching might also condition children when it comes to other activities.
The study is not proof that TV viewing causes attention problems, Landhuis notes, because it may be that children prone to attention problems may be drawn to watching television. "However, our results show that the net effect of television seems to be adverse."
Previous studies have linked the sedentary habit of TV watching among children to obesity and diabetes, amongst other public health issues, see Childhood TV and gaming is 'major public health issue).
What is your opinion?
Blogroll Me!
Pine Cone...
I took this close up of the pine tree that was beside out room at the hotel.
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More OBX Pics...
I took this pic of the water tower in Duck, NC while we were eating at the restaurant in the bottom picture. The restaurant is called Fishbones Sunset Grill and it had very good food!
I took a series of sunset pics with my Cybershot and Cam Phone as you have seen in previous posts.
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Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Music Memories...
Isn’t it funny how certain songs can tie you to a time period or person? The other day I was driving down the road listening to a band called Revenge. The song was called "State Of Shock" and it was a new version released on an album called "One True Passion V2.0" I have the original version called "One True Passion" and the next album called "Gun World Porn" that the song came from. Any way, I am rambling with back information.
So, anyway, I was driving down the road and was listening to the song and it reminded me of when I lived in Nacogdoches Texas in Wind Hill apartments. I had a friend, Jason Rhame, and he loved that song and we would play the hell out of it all the time. He moved away as did I and we kept in touch for several years and then we lost touch. I moved around a little and so did he. Well, I decided to try to find him and I tried to get his parents number in Nacogdoches and called them, no answer, so I went to www.zabasearch.com and did a search for his name and I found it in Houston.
There were several of the name. I called a few and left messages to call me and low and behold I received a call last week from him!! It was good to hear from an old friend from long ago and to catch up on recent times. We talk about once a week and are going to keep up with each other. It is just funny how music can spark memories of events and time…
What is your opinion?
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So, anyway, I was driving down the road and was listening to the song and it reminded me of when I lived in Nacogdoches Texas in Wind Hill apartments. I had a friend, Jason Rhame, and he loved that song and we would play the hell out of it all the time. He moved away as did I and we kept in touch for several years and then we lost touch. I moved around a little and so did he. Well, I decided to try to find him and I tried to get his parents number in Nacogdoches and called them, no answer, so I went to www.zabasearch.com and did a search for his name and I found it in Houston.
There were several of the name. I called a few and left messages to call me and low and behold I received a call last week from him!! It was good to hear from an old friend from long ago and to catch up on recent times. We talk about once a week and are going to keep up with each other. It is just funny how music can spark memories of events and time…
What is your opinion?
Blogroll Me!
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