Breaking Free from the Chair: How to Combat Obesity in a Sedentary World
The Link Between Sitting and Obesity
A recent study conducted in London has shown that both the amount of time sitting and the amount of exercise you get every week affects your chances of obesity. Those who engaged in low levels of exercise had an 8% rate of obesity, as compared to those who engaged in moderate to vigorous exercise, who had a 4.8% rate of obesity (defined at 4.25 hours per week). After 10 years, the rates were 6.9% for the active group, and 11.9% for the sedentary group. High levels of exercise were associated with a 36% reduced risk of obesity after 5 years, and 37% after 10 years. When you add sitting into the equation, those who exercised the most and sat the least had a 74% lower risk of obesity after 5 years, and after 10 years, 49%.
TV Watching and Obesity
There is a logical link between how much TV you watch and your chances of becoming obese. Essentially, the more TV you watch, the more sedentary you are. The more sedentary you are, the higher your chances of being overweight. Still skeptical? Let’s see what the research says.
The link between TV watching and obesity was established by Harvard University over 25 years ago, leading many health organisations to recommend that children and teens limit TV and media time to no more than 2 hours per day. The Harvard School of Public Health website explains that TV watching could promote obesity by displacing time for physical activity, promoting poor diets, giving more opportunities for unhealthy snacking (during TV viewing), as well as possibly interfering with sleep.
Research has also shown that excessive TV watching or media use in children can be harmful to their development and can put them at higher risk for obesity. Many studies, such as one published by the National Institutes of Health, have found that the more TV a child watches, the more likely they are to be overweight. According to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, children who have TVs in their bedrooms are also more likely to gain excess weight than children who don’t. Furthermore, there’s evidence that TV viewing rates in childhood predict obesity risk well into adulthood. As "Generation M" (for media) continues to spend more time in front of a screen, rates of obesity in children may rise.
The link between TV watching and obesity isn’t limited to just the children of the world. A JAMA study followed more than 50,000 middle-aged women for 6 years and found that for every 2 hours the women spent watching TV, they had a 23% higher risk of becoming obese, as well as a 14% greater risk of diabetes. In order to combat the effects of excessive TV watching, regardless of the age group, there are now devices that you can connect to a TV or video game that will limit use based on how it's programmed (such as BOB - Screen Time Manager.)
In conclusion, the research is clear: prolonged sitting has serious implications for our health, contributing to higher risks of obesity, heart disease, and even early mortality. By reducing sedentary behaviours like excessive TV watching and incorporating more physical activity into daily routines, we can greatly improve our health outcomes. Simple lifestyle changes, such as standing more, moving frequently and cutting back on screen time, can make a profound difference in weight management and overall well-being. The link between sitting and obesity is undeniable, but with the right steps, it's a problem we can tackle.
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