Rewarding children with screen time at an early age can encourage sedentary behaviour later in life, according to a report from Victoria’s Health Department.
The department’s report, Influencing Children’s Health, found eating dinner in front of the television or rewarding children with screen time can be counterproductive.
It said parents needed to implement better boundaries around the use of screens and model better behaviour in front of their children.
The report found the effects of childhood obesity could have significant impacts on adult life.
VicHealth chief executive Jerril Rechter told 774 ABC Melbourne active behaviour needed to be encouraged from an early age.
“So if child does something good don’t say ‘go sit in front of a television for half-an-hour’, say ‘go outside in the backyard and play on your bike’,” she said.
“Modelling really good habits is going to have an impact on those children, which will set them up for healthy habits for the rest of their lives.”
Ms Rechter said failing to instil healthy behaviour in young children could lead to complications later in life
“Children who are overweight now are more likely to carry that excess weight into the future, which is going to place them at increased risk of chronic diseases in the future,” she said.
The report found the transition from primary to secondary schooling was associated with a significant drop in physical activity.
The authors recommended more school lessons spent standing up, and active learning rather than indoor classroom teaching.
Raising Children Network’s Julie Green heads up a nationally funded parenting website.
She said schools were already making a conscious effort to make exercise a strong part of their curriculums.
“Riding to the school, walking to school — so schools are very much engaged in initiatives that are really trying to stimulate physical activity within their students lives,” she said.