Obesity, TV and Hunger
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| English: A child watching TV. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
There are several reasons I don't watch TV while I workout. One, is that I need the time to read and the other is something I heard a long time ago and which, apparently, is still under dispute (see quote from an abstract, below); when you watch television your metabolic rate falls. In other words you burn fewer calories sitting watching TV than you do just sitting.
Pediatrics. 1993 Feb;91(2):281-6.
Effects of television on metabolic rate: potential implications for childhood obesity.
Klesges RC, Shelton ML, Klesges LM.The effects of television viewing on resting energy expenditure (metabolic rate) in obese and normal-weight children were studied in a laboratory setting. Subjects were 15 obese children and 16 normal-weight children whose ages ranged from 8 to 12 years. All subjects had two measured of resting energy expenditure obtained while at rest and one measurement of energy expenditure taken while viewing television. Results indicated that metabolic rate during television viewing was significantly lower (mean decrease of 211 kcal extrapolated to a day) than during rest. Obese children tended to have a larger decrease, although this difference was not statistically significant (262 kcal/d vs 167 kcal/d, respectively). It was concluded that television viewing has a fairly profound lowering effect of metabolic rate and may be a mechanism for the relationship between obesity and amount of television viewing. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8424001
Maine has one of the the highest childhood obesity rates in the country.
We also have one of the highest rates of children and families suffering
from hunger and food insecurity (20 to 25%). This is, of course,
appalling. It seems strange, on the surface, that hunger and food insecurity seem to correlate with obesity.
I have thought that industrialized or post-industrial nations like the United States are the only places where poverty correlates with obesity. But is you have a parent working two jobs and needing food that is quick to prepare, and you are not educated about healthful eating it is likely that you will gravitate towards inexpensive, fast and easy to prepare foods like macaroni and cheese, fattier cuts of meat. Add to this a harder time supervising kids because you are at work and the TV as babysitter and you will have obese children. In rural areas, even without work, TV is probably the only thing that gets you through the long winter.
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| Family watching television, c. 1958 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
An education level and awareness of healthy food is also correlated. I can only note this through personal observation. I learned about food values several times in school, in health class and home economics, which has been cut from most school curricula.
In home economics we learned how to create healthy and balanced meals. But learning about food has been something I have had to do my whole life for medical reasons.
In home economics we learned how to create healthy and balanced meals. But learning about food has been something I have had to do my whole life for medical reasons.
There seem to be several ways TV Time can lead to obesity. The first lowering the base metabolism. Secondly if you are watching TV is is likely you are sitting or lying down and not physically active. And, third, in this culture at least, there is a propensity towards mindless eating while watching TV.
The scientific jury is out on the base metabolism issue. To me it makes sense. But then, maybe reading does the same thing.
I may read while I eat, especially when dining alone, but I don't tend to snack without mindfulness as I did when I was younger reading or watching TV. It is really easy to do. Do you snack while you read or eat?
Then, of course, screen time of any kind (TV Shows, Computer and Video games is mostly inactive). Is it general screen time or just entertainment that is correlated? But, one thing is clear: Kids who watch more TV have higher rates of obesity.
