If you want your child to get an athletic scholarship, don’t let him watch too much television as a preschooler. That’s just one of the findings of a new first-ever study indicating that too much TV between ages 2 and 4 significantly reduces athletic ability. 

In addition to contributing to a larger waist circumference, an effect also documented by other studies, this study published July 2012 in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity also found that increased television watching led to a decrease in long-jump distance, which is a key indicator of muscular fitness. 

The researchers explained that even if a child does not have aspirations of being a professional athlete, behaviors in childhood become habits later on. They conclude that children who watch too much television when they are 4 are much less likely to be physically active as they age. 

The children in this study who watched 18 hours or more of television per week at the age of 4.5 were also projected to have an extra 1/3-inch of weight around their waist by the age of 10 if the habit continued. Presently the American Academy of Pediatrics says children should not watch more than two hours of television per day.

“Watching more television not only displaces other forms of educational and active leisurely pursuits, but also places them at risk of learning inaccurate information about proper eating,” explains senior author of the study Linda Pagani, PhD, who is with the University of Montreal where the study took place.

It’s true that seeing pictures of fattening foods such as those often featured on television can stimulate the appetite and thus increase weight gain. Researchers from the University of Southern California presented their research data at the Endocrine Society’s 94th Annual Meeting in Houston in June 2012 showing that looking at images of high-calorie foods stimulates the desire for food. 

“This stimulation of the brain’s reward areas may contribute to overeating and obesity,” explains senior author of the study, Kathleen Page, MD.