Dr. Anjan Bhattacharya

Lifestyle Modification for Children

Today’s fast-paced life has given rise to several lifestyle diseases and the latter has not spared children either. Today we find that in most homes, both the parents go out to work and leave their child under the care of the caregiver as they hardly have any time to spend with their child. Forgetting the fact that quality time is more important than quantity time, they try to hide their guilt by providing the child with hi-fi technicalgadgets from an early age. Being colourful, exciting and innovative, these gadgets have an addictive power which instantlydraws the child to them. The result is a child who grows up on T.V., mobile, Laptop, I-Pod, Tablet and what not.

The result of getting addicted to these gadgets is dangerous.

1) It has been found by the American Academy of Paediatrics that the executive function of the brain of a child gets impaired when a child watches a fast-paced programme on TV like cartoon for 9 minutes.

2) Viewing TV for 2 hours per day by a child leads to obesity, Type II diabetes, high cholesterol and heart related ailments.

3) Eating while watching TV does not allow the child to register the taste of the food that (s)he eats and hence the child can never develop a liking for food. It also leads to an excessive amount of food intake which can increase the weight of the child leading to obesity.

Do’s and Donot’s for parents :

1) There must not be any Television or other electronic gadget in the child’s bedroom
2) Time for using gadgets should be fixed by the parents and it should be seen that it is strictly followed.
3) The child should not use these gadgets alone.
4) The child should be encouraged to play outdoors.
5) The parents should try to spend quality time with the child.

Hence, it is high time that parents restrict the usage time of electronic gadgets for their child so that the child grows up to be a healthy human being, both physically and mentally.

If the parents are unable to curb the addiction for these gadgets, then they should contact the doctor immediately.

The American Academy of Pediatrics just published a report (http://comsen.se/2abSeRV) on virtual violence. Researchers found there was a significant association between exposure to media violence and aggressive behavior, aggressive thoughts, angry feelings, and physiologic arousal.

"Many families will benefit from behavior therapy. However, in some cases medicine may be appropriate," said Georgina Peacock, MD, director of the Division of Human Development and Disability in CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. "When healthcare providers and families know the benefits and risks of all available treatments, they are best prepared to make the most appropriate treatment choice for young children with ADHD."

www.youtube.com/watch?v=56qI3tBFrQ4&feature=youtu.be

For complete parental guidance for effective lifestyle modification for children, please visit our page onParent Training.