Spend Half-an-Hour Online to Reduce Binge Eating

Californian researchers are of the opinion that if teens spend half an hour online every week, then they will weigh just right. These researchers have been able to prove that an internet program that lasts for a mere half an hour can reduce teenage binge eating considerably.

Child and teen obesity is generally linked to unhealthy eating patterns and no physical activity. Researchers are doing their bit to help children and teenagers fight obesity in the right way. For instance, experts claim that concerns to fight obesity are also leading to eating disorders in children.

Of late, the internet is becoming a popular way to communicate with people. Teenagers are widely lured by the same. Authors like Megan Jones from the Stanford Medical Centre, California told Reuters Health that studies have been successful in proving that unhealthy eating patterns and obesity can be managed together by way of an internet program that can reduce binge eating in teens.

The SB2-BED Internet Model

Jones and her team reported that about 13% of the adolescents both boys and girls engaged in binge eating. This implied that teens were actually consuming about 1500 calories in just one session of binge eating.

About 105 high school kids with a tendency to become overweight participated in the 16 week program and joined the control group. Children in the intervention group were monitored on the basis of techniques like self-monitoring, psycho-education and stimulus control to curb binge eating and encourage physical activity.

Results of the Program

Few results of the study are listed below:

• Children in the intervention group recorded a lesser body mass index
• The intervention group reported fewer incidents of binge eating in adolescents
• Children in the intervention group also reported a reduction in weight

The body mass index drastically fell among those children who indulged in binge eating. This helped in establishing that the internet program can reduce binge eating in children to a great extent.