[PHNUTR-L] Turn Off the TV Week April 21-27

[jikeda]

Television watching is a sedentary behavior that promotes overweight - the 
more hours a child watches television, the greater the child's risk of 
becoming overweight. National Turn off the TV Week is April 21 to 27. A 
press release from the TV Turnoff network about this event appears at the 
end of this message. It is important to disseminate information to parents 
about the importance of limiting TV viewing time (as well as time spent 
using the computer and playing computer games). For a wealth of information 
abut the impact of television watching on all aspects of childrens' health, 
plus practical advice for parents on limiting TV viewing and computer use, 
please see the following websites:
Coalition for Quality Children's Media
http://www.cqcm.org/kidsfirst/start.html

TV Turnoff Network
http://www.tvp.org

The Television Project6
http://www.tvp.org

Parental Media Guide
http://parentalguide.org

Safe Kids
http://safekids.com/

Entertainment Software Rating Board
http:www.esrb.org




TV-Turnoff Week Support Hits High
WASHINGTON, DC - A total of 73 national organizations have signed on to 
support TV-Turnoff Week 2003, TV-Turnoff Week organizers announced today.
"TV-Turnoff Week continues to capture the imagination of millions of 
Americans," commented TV-Turnoff Network Executive Director Frank Vespe. 
"We're excited and pleased to have so many organizations, representing such 
a wide diversity of interests, represented in our list of supporters."
TV-Turnoff Week 2003 will take place April 21-27. During this ninth annual 
Turnoff, millions of children and adults across the nation and around the 
world will take a seven-day break from the television and rediscover that 
life can be more fun, rewarding, and even relaxing when we do more and 
watch less. For many, the Week will become the springboard to making 
lasting change in their lives: watching less television, choosing what they 
do watch more selectively, and engaging in more screen-free activities.
TV-Turnoff Week 2002 proved to a great success. An estimated 6.4 million 
people took part in the event in more than 16,000 organized Turnoffs. The 
lengthy list of supporting organizations for 2003 includes a number of 
major groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American 
Medical Association, National Education Association, Boys and Girls Clubs 
of America, and many others. New supporters include the American Heart 
Association and Reading Is Fundamental. Supporting groups assist in raising 
awareness about TV-Turnoff Week to their constituents, among other activities.
The event's support is demonstrated not just by the sheer number of 
supporters but also by their diversity. Indeed, the list of supporters 
covers the political spectrum from left to right and includes family values 
organizations, religious groups, environmental concerns, and many other 
interests, as well as traditional health and education groups.
"The appeal of TV-Turnoff Week crosses ideological and partisan 
boundaries," Vespe commented. "It is as universal as the desire to raise 
healthy, happy children."
TV-Turnoff Week is organized each year by TV-Turnoff Network. TV-Turnoff 
Network is a national nonprofit organization which encourages children and 
adults to watch much less television in order to promote healthier lives 
and communities. In addition to TV-Turnoff Week, TV-Turnoff Network created 
and runs More Reading, Less TV, an acclaimed program designed to get 
grammar school children to put down their remote controls and pick up 
books. Additionally, our RealVision program raises public awareness of 
television's impact on health, education, and family time.

Joanne P. Ikeda, MA,RD
Co-Director, Center for Weight and Health
Cooperative Extension Nutrition Education Specialist & Lecturer
223 Morgan Hall
Nutritional Sciences Department
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-3104
phone (510)642-2790
FAX (510)642-4160
email: jikeda at socrates.berkeley.edu
See website of the Center for Weight and Health: http://cnr.berkeley.edu/cwh


Joanne P. Ikeda, MA,RD
Cooperative Extension Nutrition Education Specialist & Lecturer
223 Morgan Hall
Nutritional Sciences Department
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-3104
phone (510)642-2790
FAX (510)642-4160
email: jikeda at socrates.berkeley.edu
See website of the Center for Weight and Health:  http://cnr.berkeley.edu/cwh