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New study links TV viewing to low school achievement

Watching television in early childhood increases the risk of belowaverage school performance and poor health at the age of ten, according to new research.

The study of 1,300 children by the Universities of Michigan and Montreal, published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, which was part of the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development Main Exposure, found that the negative effects on older children rose with every hour of television watched in early childhood. Children who watched more television performed less well at school and also consumed more junk food.

Parents were asked how much television their child watched at 29 months and at 53 months.When they reached the age of ten, their body mass index was measured and their teachers were asked to assess their academic performance, behaviour and health.

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