TV in bedrooms may boost kids' risk of fat, disease (USA)

Kids who have TVs in their bedrooms are twice as likely to be fat and nearly three times as likely to be at risk for heart disease and diabetes as those who don't, according to a new study that renews concerns about health and screen time. Specifically, youngsters ages 5 to 18 who had TVs in their rooms were up to 2.5 times more likely than others to have bigger waists and more fat mass. Those who watched TV more than five hours a day were at twice the risk for fat around their internal organs, a dangerous precursor for disease. "It's really troubling to see these kids with fat around their heart and liver," said Amanda Staiano, a scientist with the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La. Staiano and her colleagues knew that previous studies had shown a link among bedroom TVs, longer TV viewing and being overweight or obese, which affects two-thirds of U.S. youth. But in a country where 70 percent of kids have TVs in their rooms, according to a 2010 study, Staiano said they wanted to understand exactly where the kids were adding fat, and whether they were at risk for conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. "We wanted to see kind of a more precise relationship between TV and health," said Stainao, who studied 369 children and teens in Louisiana. Her findings are reported in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine

Too much television points to an early death (Australia)

"Australian scientists have published new research that suggests that the more television people watch, the sooner they die. The Australian report says that every hour viewers spend watching television increases the risk of premature death. The study was undertaken by the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne. Researchers there studied more than 8,000 adults in Australia, for a six-year period. The results will almost certainly be disconcerting for those who regularly watch TV. The findings have revealed that those adults who watched television the most died younger. The team in Melbourne was led by Professor David Dunstan, who believes this elevated risk of an early death was independent of other risk factors, including high blood pressure or cholesterol levels as well as diet, exercise and smoking. Dunstan says the research shows that shows that too much sitting on the couch/sofa can be detrimental to our health. Health campaigners have welcomed the findings, which have been published this week in the journal Circulation"

Go Red For Women and NBC local media join to tell the untold stories of real women and heart disease

"On September 20, the American Heart Association's Go Red For Women is bringing the real faces of women and heart disease into living rooms across the country in a new 30-minute NBC television special, Go Red For Women presents - Untold Stories of the Heart. The special will air on NBC's ten owned-andoperated stations (check your local listings for various times). For every heart, there is a story. Unfortunately, these stories often go untold because women lack awareness of their risk factors and an understanding of the choices they can make to prevent heart disease. This fall, those stories will be told"