Trampolines could help keep teenagers active

A new study suggests that weekends are the worst time for activity levels in teenagers and the time when they spend most time in front of the TV or computer screen. The research published in the Journal of Preventive Medicine looked at behaviour among 3,278 teens across Europe. It found that during the weekend more than 60 per cent watched more than two hours of TV a day compared with a third during the week.

Study leader Juan P. Rey-Lopez said: 'Our findings support the recommendaton by the American Academy of Pediatrics not to put televisions in teenagers' bedrooms in order to reduce the amount of time they spend watching the television. Research has previously suggested that adolescent obesity is a function of a sedentary or inactive lifestyle. Having a games console or television in the bedroom triples the risk of exceeding the health recommendations to not spend more than two hours per day watching television.'

Recent research also suggests there is a strong association in adults between the number of hours spent watching television and their cardiometabolic health — the more television adults watch, the lower their cardiometabolic health. Previous research has also indicated that excessive exposure to media may contribute to teenage depression.

Many parents report that having a trampoline has helped improve activity levels in their children. As Pauline from Norwich told us: 'I was sceptical but my four children love the trampoline and it's helped one with his asthma, the other with his weight and the final two just go outdoor loads more so they are not on the Playstation so much.' .