Obesity Risk Higher In Those Who Watch More Television

New findings published in the journal SAGE Open reveal that time spent watching television may predict obesity risk.

A team of researchers at the University of Pittsburgh discovered that the more hours young adults spend watching television every day, the higher likelihood they will have a higher body mass index (BMI) and bigger waist circumference.

In the 15-year-study, researchers analyzed data from over 3,000 adults from Birmingham, Ala., Chicago, Minneapolis and Oakland, Calif. Back in 1990, participants began reporting their television viewing habits and had their waist circumference measured, along with their body mass index calculated every five years.

The findings revealed that those who spent more time watching television around the age of 30 were more likely to be obese five years later when compared to peers who spent less time in front of the television.

Furthermore, the study showed that a lower family income and higher rates of smoking and drinking were also associated with more time spent watching television.

"We were quite surprised to find that television viewing was associated with subsequent obesity for young adults, but not for the middle-aged," Anthony Fabio, lead author of the study, said in a statement. "This suggests that middle-aged adults may differ from young adults in how they respond to the influence of TV viewing."

"Television viewing and obesity are both highly prevalent in many populations around the world," Dr. Fabio concluded. "This means that even small reductions in television viewing could lead to vast public health improvements. Reducing sedentary time should be a healthy lifestyle guideline heavily promoted to the public. Our study indicates that the biggest bang for the buck would be in targeting young adults for interventions to reduce television viewing. Healthy lifestyle behaviors should start at early ages."

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