Teenagers who spend hours in front of the television may have a poorer diet, a new study shows. It is not clear, researchers say, whether television itself is the reason, but it is possible that things like snacking in front of the TV or seeing ads for junk food influence young people’s diets.
The study included nearly 1,400 high school students. It showed that those who watched TV for five hours or more every day had less healthy diets than other students five years later. As a group, they ate fewer fruits and vegetables, but ate more fast food, snack products and fried foods.
“We’re not able to tell why,” lead researcher Dr. Daheia J. Barr-Anderson said. “But we have some speculation(推测).” People who spend a lot of time in front of the TV, especially teenagers, may have more snacks. It may influence their long-term diet quality. It’s also possible that TV ads for fast food, sweets and snacks make teenagers eat more of those foods. TV time might also replace exercise time for some kids.
The researchers found a clear relationship between TV time during high school and diet quality of the young. The heaviest TV viewers ate the most junk food five years later, and those who’d watched fewer than two hours every day had the most fruits and vegetables.
According to Barr-Anderson, the findings support experts’ advice that children should watch no more than two hours of television every day. “Parents should cut the TV time.” Barr-Anderson said. She advised that parents set a good example by eating right, being physically active and controlling their own TV time.
小题1:Is it clear that television is the reason for young people’s poor diet?
(no more than 3word)
(2 marks)
小题2:What kind of TV ads will makes teenagers eat more unhealthy food?
(no more than 10 words)
(2 marks)
小题3:According to Barr-Anderson, what should parents do to set a good example for their children? (no more than 15 words) (3 marks)
小题4:What is the passage mainly about? (no more than 10 words)
(3 marks)
