Parents Key to Whether Kids Get Enough Exercise, Studies Find
THURSDAY, July 5 (HealthDay News) -- Parents play a major role
in whether their young children are active or become "couch
potatoes," according to two new studies. In one study, Oregon
State University researchers looked at 200 families with
children ages 2 to 4 to determine how parenting style affects
children's physical-activity levels. All the children spent four
to five hours sitting during a typical day, but children of
parents deemed "neglectful" (those who weren't home often and
spent less time with their children) spent up to 30 additional
minutes a day watching television, playing video games or being
engaged in some other type of screen time. "A half an hour each
day may not seem like much, but add that up over a week, then a
month, then a year and you have a big impact," study lead author
David Schary, a doctoral student in the College of Public Health
and Human Sciences, said in a university news release. "One
child may be getting up to