A study led by epidemiologist Susan A. Carlson of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention shows that children who are physically active and have parental limits on their TV viewing are less likely to watch too much television than their peers.

Carlson goes on to say that children who watch more than 2 hours a day, which is what the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) deems appropriate for children over 2 years, are more likely to have problems with obesity and a plethora of other health and psychological issues as those who pay adherence to the limit.

Carlson and her colleagues interviewed 7,415 children between 9 and 15 years of age; 27% of them watched more than 2 hours of television a day.  She stressed that the study indicates that parents not only need to limit viewing time, they should encourage their children to become more physically active.

Per the AAP website, children are displaying risk factors for such “adult” ailments as heart disease, fatty deposits in the blood vessels, and high cholesterol.  In fact, what used to be called “adult onset diabetes” is now referred to as Type 2 diabetes because of the dramatic increase in the number of children who get it, according to the AAP.