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News release: Colorado - Denver/BoulderApril 13, 2004 For more information, call: From screen time to play time Kaiser Permanente supports national TV-Turnoff Week, April 19 to 25, 2004 Denver, CO – Open your window on a sunny weekday afternoon 20 years ago, and you'd probably hear the happy sound of children at play. Now, you'd be lucky to find a single child enjoying the outdoors. Both kids and adults these days are devoting much of what used to be playtime to screen time. Unfortunately, research shows that too much screen time can be deadly. Researchers have linked obesity and other diseases to the lack of physical activity caused by watching too much TV, surfing the Web and playing too many video games. That's why Kaiser Permanente is among 65 national organizations, including Kaiser Permanente, the American Medical Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, are supporting National TV-Turnoff Week, April 19 to 25. Kaiser Permanente wants to help get the word out that parents and children can lead healthier lives just by replacing TV and video games with 30-60 minutes of daily active playtime. "Over the past two decades, the number of overweight children in this country has doubled," says Kaiser Permanente pediatrician Dr. Sandra Stenmark, M.D. "Obesity is quickly becoming an epidemic among younger children. I see some as young as 10 years old with type II diabetes, which used to be a disease seen mostly in overweight adults." Too much screen time not only limits physical activity, but it also affects the amount and kinds of food we consume. "Most people eat mindlessly when they're sitting in front of the TV. Not only are they sitting still, but they're often eating unhealthy foods," Stenmark says. Kaiser Permanente's prescription for less TV and more energy calls for about one hour each day of activities such as bicycling, soccer, walking, dancing, swimming, roller or ice skating, gardening, Frisbee, tennis, cleaning or even building a family fort. For teenagers, Dr. Stenmark strongly recommends involving them in structured after-school activities with their peers, such as athletic leagues or dance lessons. "Playing together benefits both parents and children in terms of relationship building, weight loss, physical fitness, and just plain happiness," Stenmark says. Dr. Stenmark and other Kaiser Permanente pediatricians will be available any time before or during TV-Turnoff Week. For more information about TV-Turnoff Week, visit kaiserpermanente.org. Kaiser Permanente is a non-profit organization and the largest private health care provider in Colorado. It is rated among the top ten accredited health care organizations in the country for clinical quality by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. Kaiser Permanente cares for more than 408,000 members in the Denver/Boulder and Colorado Springs areas. In the Denver/Boulder area, care is provided by a coordinated team of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dietitians, mental health counselors and physical therapists. In Colorado Springs, Kaiser Permanente cares for its members through an affiliated network of community-based physicians and other health care providers.
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