The study assessed three sedentary lifestyle factors: television viewing, computer usage and driving. The 13,284 subjects were followed for more than eight years. In that time, a total of 97 deaths were noted. Interestingly, researchers determined that there was no link between computer usage and driving in terms of premature death. However, the risk of death associated with television viewing doubled.
And this risk is expected to increase.
“As the population ages, sedentary behaviors will become more prevalent, especially watching television, and this poses an additional burden on the increased health problems related to aging,” Martinez-Gonzalez said.
Further studies say that watching too much television can have a drastic impact on the average viewer’s lifespan. Researchers from the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia discovered that each hour spent watching television may reduce life expectancy by nearly 22 minutes. In fact, six hours spent watching television daily may take five years off a viewer’s life.
Television viewing has been linked to weight gain. Research shows that watching television drives obesity and is linked to binge eating symptoms.
These sedentary lifestyle issues associated with television viewing aren’t just affecting adults. They extend to children, too -- particularly when it comes to weight gain.
Studies show that the more television a child watches, the greater the chance of weight gain. And this habit could follow the child into adult life. In fact, time spent watching television predicts future weight gain in adulthood.
So just how much time is the average child spending in front of the tube?