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Prevention Action Alliance
Know!
How Your Child's Health Habits Rank
Parenting requires a daily balancing act—especially when it comes to
raising tweens and teens. According to newly released research from the
University of Texas Health Science Center, many of us should reexamine
the health habits of our children (as well as our own) and help to make
some adjustments. After studying the lifestyles of more than 60,000
American high school students, they found that only 1 in 20 young
people are getting the recommended combined amount of sleep, exercise,
and screen time.
“The combined effect on children’s overall health could be considerable
in terms of their physical health, emotional well-being, and academic
performance,” said Gregory Knell, Ph. D., a postdoctoral research
fellow at UTHealth School of Public Health in Dallas.
So what exactly are the recommended amounts?
SLEEP: 9–12 hours for 10 to 12-year-olds; and 8–10 hours for 14 to
18-year-olds (National Sleep Foundation).
EXERCISE: At least one hour of moderate or vigorous physical activity
daily (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services).
SCREEN TIME: No more than two hours in a 24-hour period (American
Academy of Pediatrics).
Researchers said meeting the recommendations for the combined behaviors
may have a greater association with overall health outcomes than
meeting any one recommendation by itself.
The study found that among teens who are least likely to get the
recommended amount of sleep, exercise, and screen time, are teens who
are older, non-Hispanic black, Asian, obese, and who showed signs of
depression. Only three percent of girls, compared to seven percent of
boys, were reaching all three recommendations.
What can we do to reverse this trend and improve our children’s
lifestyle behaviors?
SCREEN TIME: When it comes to screen time, a mere two-hour limit may
seem nearly impossible considering teens rack up an average six hours
of entertainment media each day. That doesn’t include time spent using
media for school and homework.
As for adults, a study by global tech company Asurion found that the
average American checks their phone every 12 minutes. That means we
have our faces buried in our phones up to 80 times a day, and for some
that number is even higher. This is where adjusting our own media use
will role model positive behavior for our children. One option can be
to set limits on our children’s devices to limit their screen time. If
we agree to cut down media use along with them, it is likely to have a
greater impact long-term.
EXERCISE: The recommended one hour or more of moderate-to-vigorous
physical activity daily for youth specifically includes three types of
exercise: Aerobic (like jogging and bicycling), muscle-strengthening
(like unstructured play on park equipment and any kind of bodyweight
exercises such as pull ups or planks), and bone-strengthening (like
basketball and tennis).
Activity guidelines for adults say that those who sit less and engage
in any amount of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity will reap some
benefits. For substantial health benefits, adults are recommended to
include at least 2.5 hours of moderate activity weekly or 1.25 hours of
vigorous activity weekly.
Our children need exercise, and we need exercise. This is another
opportunity to role model positive behavior while improving our own
health as well. Invite your child to join you on a jog or play
basketball with them; even seeing you heading to the gym regularly is
positive role modeling. In any case, your actions will be more powerful
than words alone.
SLEEP: When it comes to the list of reasons why your child needs to be
getting their recommended hours of sleep and how best to achieve
quality sleep, the list is long. Click here to visit the previous tip,
Know! Sleep is Fuel for Life, for the specifics.
In reference to the findings of the University of Texas Health Science
Center, Knell says, “The results are a wake-up call for everyone who
wants to make sure our children have a healthy future.”
With that in mind, you are encouraged to take a closer look at your
health habits, as well as those of your children, and take positive
steps towards better well-being.
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