Research into child fitness shows that youngsters should not watch more than two hours of TV per day – for the sake of their future health. The study of two to four-year-olds found that watching more than two hours of telly every day increases their chances of gaining weight and having reduced muscle fitness.

The Canadian study found that children who increase the number of hours of weekly television that they watch between the ages of two and four risk larger waistlines by age 10.

In fact, an extra hour per week of TV could add half a millimetre to the waist  circumference of children and reduce their muscle fitness.

The study of 1,314 children was recently reported in the BioMed Central journal.

Researchers found that the average amount of TV watched by the children at the start of the study was 8.8 hours a week. This increased on average by six hours over the next two years to reach 14.8 hours a week by the age of four-and-a-half.

The study concluded that the effect of 18 hours of TV at 4.5 years of age would result in an extra 7.6mm on their waistline by the age of 10.

The researchers also looked at the muscle fitness of the children. They asked them to perform a standing long jump test their muscular fitness and athletic ability.

It was found that an extra weekly hour of TV can decrease the distance that a child can jump from by 36mm.

A spokesperson for the study is reported as saying: “The bottom line is that watching too much television, beyond the recommended amounts, is not good.”

She added: "Watching more television not only displaces other forms of educational and active leisurely pursuits but also places children at risk of learning inaccurate information about proper eating."

The study also highlighted the fact that habits and behaviours became entrenched during childhood and these habits might affect attitudes to sporting activities in adulthood. So a child that doesn't view fitness and sport as an option, or see people setting an example, will be less likely to take part in sporting activities when they grow older. 

What do you think about this research into child fitness? How do you encourage your little ones to keep fit?