The US children exposed to about four hours of background TV every day get affected negatively as the condition is not good for their natural development.
Previous studies had tied background TV to problems such as learning and reading difficulties among young children who have not acquired the ability to multitask and focus on different things at the same time, Iranian Press TV reported. “Background TV is TV that is on in the vicinity of the child that the child is not attending to,” said researcher Matthew Lapierre of the University of Pennsylvania.
Lapierre and colleagues examined background TV exposure in 1,454 households with children between the ages of eight months to eight years.
Their findings showed that the average US American kid was exposed to 232.2 minutes of background television every day. The least exposure was seen among children who did not have a TV in their room, Lapierre noted. “We think parents leave the TV on while the child is sleeping.”
“We were ready and willing to accept that the exposure would be high, but we were kind of shocked at how high it really was,” he added. “It’s particularly concerning because there is evidence this exposure has negative consequences for development.” The indirect TV exposure didnot include the time in which children attentively watched TV.
“For every minute of television to which children are directly exposed, there are an additional three minutes of indirect exposure, making background exposure a much greater proportion of time in a young child’s day,” the authors say.
The study which will be presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association in Phoenix, has a clear message for parents: “If no one is watching the TV, turn it off.”
Daily physical activities lower risk of Alzheimer: Older people who are engaged in regular physical activities including simple daily chores are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.
A study of 716 elderly people showed that regular exercise and simple daily activities such as cleaning, cooking, washing dishes and gardening lower the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia in them, Iranian Press TV reported.
According to the findings that appeared in the journal Neurology, over the four-year follow up, people who were the least active each day were two times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. “These results provide support for efforts to encourage physical activity in even very old people who might not be able to participate in formal exercise but can still benefit from a more active lifestyle,” said lead author Dr. Aron S. Buchman of the Rush University Medical Center, US.
“Activities like cooking, washing the dishes, playing cards and even moving a wheelchair with a person’s arms were beneficial,” Dr Buchman added. “These are low-cost, easily accessible and side-effect free activities people can do at any age, including very old age, to possibly prevent Alzheimer’s.”
`India’s Agni-V test fire to deteriorate regional situation: Mirwaiz: All Parties Hurriyet Conference (APHC) Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has said that the test-fire of nuclear capable Agni-V ballistic missile will not make peace between India and Pakistan but the dangerous weapons chase will lead to deterioration of situation in the region.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the APHC Chairman said, the recent test-fire of Agni-V, which has a strike range of over 5,000 km, would not lead to peace between India and Pakistan. “Instead it will deteriorate the situation,” he added.
