Television Viewing and Risk of Obesity
- Donald A. Redelmeier, MD, FRCPC;
- Matthew B. Stanbrook, MD, FRCPC
-
Department of Medicine
University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
- KEYWORDS:
- lifestyle
- obesity
- television
- women's health
To the Editor: In their longitudinal study, Dr Hu and colleagues1 found that women who watched more television were at higher risk of developing obesity. Although Hu et al attributed this relationship to the sedentary nature of watching television, we wonder whether this association might partially reflect the messages sent by television content.
Hu et al acknowledged that commercial advertising and food cues may contribute to eating patterns, but the psychological effects of television on behavior can be much more subtle. Vivid television images can cause changes in human physiology and emotions, of which most viewers are unaware.2 Subsequent decision making may be influenced by such fallibilities.3
In addition, television watching is not always a sedentary activity. For example, many people watch television while exercising at health clubs. Moreover, Hu et al did not assess whether television viewing might substitute for other sedentary behaviors. Specifically, people often …
