TV Watching and Childhood Obesity

Speaker:
Steven Gortmaker, PhD
Professor of the Practice of Health Sociology
Department of Society, Human Development and Health
Harvard School of Public Health

Join Dr. Gortmaker as he explores the effects of TV watching on children's activity levels, and pinpoints TV use as the single best predictor of childhood obesity. His research has found that the causes of the epidemic are rooted in the success of the food, television/film/videogame and advertising industries to encourage our children to buy more, eat more and watch more. He will discuss interventions and policies that can reduce excessive television viewing by children.

Originally broadcast, January 19, 2006