Your child spending hours watching a favorite cartoon could lead to lifetime weight problems. Researchers at the Pediatric Academic Societies found sedentary behavior (like sitting through a marathon of Dora the Explorer) is linked directly to being overweight or obese as an adult.
The research builds on several studies that link TV and weight gain across all age groups. One study found kindergartners who watched as little as an hour of television were 50 percent to 73 percent more likely to be obese, compared to their classmates who tuned in to their favorite show less than an hour a day.
