Community Commentary: Turn off telly time: Do you know how much TV your children are watching?

This is an especially pertinent question because April 23-29 is National Turn Off Your TV Week. Did you know by the time the average child graduates from high school they will have spent more time watching TV than in school? The average student spends 900 hours a year in school versus 1,030 hours per year in front of the TV.

These numbers paint a sobering picture given the percentage of children in this country who are overweight or obese. In 1964, 5 percent of American children were seriously overweight. By 2003 the U.S Department of Health and Human Services found that number had climbed to 15 percent. Childhood obesity is an epidemic in this country, according to nutritionists.