Understanding youth obesity and media use: Implications for future intervention programs

Nearly six years have passed since the Physical Activity and Health: A Report of the Surgeon General (USDHHS, 1996) described the health and fitness status of America's youth. The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity (USDHHS, 200 1) provides a comprehensive review of research on the epidemiology, health risks, and prevalence of obesity in all segments of the population. Increasingly, children and adolescents are turning to sedentary leisure-time activities. Media use has been linked to decreased physical activity levels, increased BMI, and increased high-energy food intake. This review of literature provides a comprehensive examination of the influence media use has on youth adiposity, dietary habits, and physical activity. Current and future intervention programs to decrease sedentary behavior in children are also highlighted. Reducing media use (including television, videotape viewing, nonacademic computer use, and video game playing) in youth can address leisure-time sedentary behaviors. Future intervention programs, using an interdisciplinary approach, need to decrease leisure-time sedentary behaviors while promoting active lifestyles.