out of TV viewing for you and your family. You want to avoid the extremes of sitting in front of the TV for three or more hours a day or forbidding TV watching completely.

Reducing time spent watching TV is one of the toughest, good ideas to put into action! First of all you and your family have to examine your TV watching habits: How much time to you and each family member spend in front of the TV set each week? What part does TV play in your life, do you turn it off at meal times? Could your family survive for a week without watching TV? Does your child have a TV in his or her room? If so, do you know how much time he or she spends watching TV? Do you know and monitor the programmes that he or she watches? Does your child frequently ask you to buy foods he or she hears about on TV? Many people in Bermuda spend hours watching TV or videos or playing video games each week. In a survey conducted by Walton Brown, it was determined that 60 percent of Bermuda's teens watch three hours or more of TV a day, 28 percent watch five or more hours of TV a day. This means that by the time a teen reaches the age of 18 he or she will have spent more time watching TV than going to school! While regulated TV viewing can be very educational and provide fun entertainment, excessive TV watching can contribute to one of the major public health problems in Bermuda - overweight and obesity.

Watching TV is not a strenuous activity, it burns about one calorie per minute compared to brisk walking which burns three to four calories per minute.

Research suggests that 30 minutes of watching TV can reduce a child's metabolism (ability to burn calories) by 14 percent -- a lower level than if he or she was doing nothing! The time spent watching TV also reduces the time spent in more energetic activities.

Advertising has a powerful impact on children. The foods most often advertised on television and consumed while watching TV are high in calories and high in sugar or fat. Ask yourself -- how often does your child influence your buying of snack foods, such as, chips, candies, cakes, cookies, sweetened drinks and sugared breakfast cereal, etc.? Studies indicate that for each hour of TV a student watches a day, overweight is likely to increase by one to two percent. The chances of an overweight child loosing weight is reduced by six percent for each extra hour of TV he watches a day.

Among adults the incidence of overweight is 4 times greater for those who watch three or more hours of TV a day, compared to those who watch one hour or less. Recent studies indicate that children and adults who watch three or more hours of TV a day, are more likely to have elevated blood cholesterol levels than individuals who watch one hour or more.

Other consequences of excessive TV watching include: sleep deprivation; skipped breakfast; poorer academic performance in school; interfering with communication at family mealtime; and the promotion of antisocial behaviour and the endorsement of violence.

What can parents do? Put the family on a TV diet! Set Limits -- health authorities recommend TV viewing be limited to 1 to 2 hours a day (this will also limit your own TV time); however, if daily TV watching is excessive, you may want to cut back time gradually over a number of weeks. Electronic devices are available that can be programmed to limit TV viewing.

Plan -- with limited viewing you have to plan viewing time carefully to get the most enjoyment from TV. Read the TV schedule and determine what everyone wants to watch. It may mean video taping programmes you want to watch, so they can be viewed at a more suitable time.

Watch TV with your child and discuss the programmes to help your child understand and learn from what he or she sees. A programme may help you discuss difficult topics e.g. Love, sex, AIDS etc.

Discuss real issues -- point out the difference between the real world and the TV world -- some programmes can provide unreal solutions to real life problems. Also discuss commercials and the messages behind them. Explain how TV makes viewers want things they do not need -- and sometimes want things that may even be harmful to them such as smoking.

Do not allow your child to have a TV in his or her room. You will have no control over what or how much time your child spends watching TV. It will also interfere with the amount of sleep your child will get.

TV should not become a child minder. It can be an unwelcome guest, teaching your child lessons you do not agree with.

Watching less TV will encourage families to be more active, to eat together, talk together, learn from each other and get to bed at a decent hour. Learn to use TV well in your home -- live life to it's fullest instead of turning into couch potatoes! Betsy Baillie, RD Nutrition Services Department of Health HEALTH & SOCIAL ISSUES HTH