One of the most important social influences that might affect both diet and physical activity level is television viewing. Studies have consistently shown that the more television a child watches, the more likely he or she is to develop obesity and gain excessive amounts of weight. That may occur because television is a medium for advertising of fast foods, soft drinks and junk food, in effect programming children to worse and worse diet quality. And at the same time, television viewing displaces physical activity- sports and outdoor activity- in the lives of children. So for that reason, perhaps the single most important action a parent can take is to turn off the TV.