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Is Television Really Educational For Young Children - HER Week In Health

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In this edition of EmpowHER's, "HER Week In Health" for the week of October 21, 2011, Bailey Mosier talks about a study that covers the educational value of television time for children under two years old, whether menopause is the end of hot flashes for women, and a new point based nutrition label for food.

Hi, I’m Bailey Mosier. This is EmpowHER’s HER Week in Health.

You may think Sesame Street and Yo Gabba Gabba are educational kids programs, but in this week’s edition we’ll learn there’s no such thing as educational TV for kids. We’ll also learn that many postmenopausal women still experience hot flashes and a newly proposed nutrition points system could make it easier for consumers to spot healthy foods.

The American Academy of Pediatrics warn that video screen time provides no educational benefits for children under age 2 and leaves less room for activities that do, like interacting with other people and playing.

There is no evidence that exposure to any of these gadgets – TVs, computers, smartphones, iPads – causes long-term developmental problems, but based on what we know from research on language development, the more language that comes in – from real people – the more language the child understands and produces later on.

The pediatrics association estimates that for every hour a child under 2 spends in front of a screen, he or she spends about 50 minutes less interacting with a parent, and about 10 percent less time in creative play.

Experts say parents need to be educated about setting media consumption limits for their young children.

Researchers found that over half of postmenopausal women were still having hot flashes on average ten years after their last period.

In a study published in the International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, researchers were surprised to find menopausal symptoms persisted in so many postmenopausal women.

The researchers say there needs to be increased awareness of this amongst women and health professionals and more research into future treatments because these symptoms affect quality of life in so many women.

A report from the National Academies recommends a nutrition points rating system be implemented, where the healthier the food, the more points it gets.

This front-of-package nutrition rating system would enable shoppers to instantly recognize healthier products by their number of points and calorie information and ultimately encourage food and beverage producers to develop healthier fare, researchers say.

Calories, saturated fat, trans fat, sodium and sugars would all be a part of the grading system to determine a food or beverage’s healthiness. Researchers hope this new system would make it clear for consumers to know what they’re putting in their bodies.

That wraps up your EmpowHER HER Week in Health. Join me here at EmpowHER.com every Friday for the latest in women’s health.

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10 years of hot flashes! At least it is good to know.

October 25, 2011 - 3:37pm
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