TV viewing time linked to Australia's obesity epidemic
9 May 2003
Australia has an obesity epidemic and it has been strongly linked to how much time people spend watching television.
The results of the 1999—2000 Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle study, published this week in the Medical Journal of Australia (2003; 178(9): 427-432), also found that the effect on weight of watching a lot of television was only partly off-set by the amount of physical activity otherwise undertaken.
In particular, even those with a high level of physical activity (> 4.75 hours/week) still had a high risk of obesity if their television viewing time was in the highest category (> 15 hours/week).
The number of Australians who are obese has more than doubled in the past 20 years, with the study finding that 60 per cent of Australians were now either overweight or obese.
The study considered people to be obese if their body mass index (BMI; calculated by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in metres squared) was greater than 30 or their waist circumference was greater than 88 cm (for women) or 102 cm (for men). People were considered overweight if their BMI was 25—29.9.
Obesity is associated with type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, some cancers and arthritis, all of which have major health implications for those affected.
The researchers have suggested that health promotion programmes directed at reducing purely sedentary pastimes such as watching television, as well as increasing physical activity, may have significant health benefits. Currently, many health promotion programmes encourage increased physical activity while not addressing the role of sedentary behaviours.
The researchers also acknowledged the importance of increased energy intake in contributing to obesity, noting that other studies have found a link between television viewing and increased consumption of high energy take-away foods.
Last Reviewed: 12 May 2003
- 1. Cameron AJ, Welborn TA, Zimmet PZ, Dunstan DW, Owen N, Salmon J, Dalton M, Jolley D, Shaw JE. Overweight and obesity in Australia: the 1999-2000 Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study (AusDiab). Med J Aust 2003 May 5; 178(9): 427-32.
