Surprisingly there has not been extensive research conducted concerning a specific correlation between TV viewing and resulting obesity in adults. Most extensive studies have focused solely on the effects that having an in-bedroom TV have on the weight of children. These studies have been rather conclusive in defining that having a bedroom TV set can greatly increase the odds of a child becoming obese, in fact they were “31 percent more likely to be overweight”(Jones, 291) as compared to children who did not have a bedroom TV set. Numerous reasons were found for this drastic increase in odds of becoming obese. Owning a bedroom TV set resulted in children spending more time watching TV, less time sleeping and maybe most importantly spending less time being physically active. If having a bedroom television set can have these effects on children it is not a far leap to think that a college age student could be affected in much the same way.
A recent study broke the mold with their focus on already obese adults with and without a bedroom television set. Thirty nine subjects, both male and female, were selected. To be part of the study a participant needed to be between the ages of twenty-one and sixty-five, have a BMI (body mass index) between 25 and 50 Kilograms per square meter, and view television between three to eight hours each day. The chosen participants entered into a three week observational program to capture their normal TV viewing habits. All televisions in the participant’s respective homes were fitted with a locked monitor that recorded hours when the TV was turned on using a 4 digit code assigned to the individual. All television locations were noted; if a TV was specified as a bedroom set any hours viewed on the set were recorded as Bed Television Time or BTVT. Further, for comparison of sleep time, every subject maintained sleep logs that specified site of sleep as well. Together these aspects allowed for an investigation of the relationships between BTVT, time slept, and TV time outside the bedroom.
As results were analyzed after the three week period researchers did not find the outcomes that were readily expected. Truly, “no significant relationships were found” (Jones, 293) regarding BTVT, body mass index and overall sleep time. Other findings however raise just as much interest in the influence that a bedroom TV set can have. Notably there was a stark difference in the education levels of subjects with and without bedroom sets. Thirteen of the total thirty-nine participants did not hold a college degree; out of these thirteen, twelve had a bedroom television set. Another finding specified that individuals with a bedroom TV viewed an average of 1.8 more hours of television a day than their counterparts. While this is not the real, definitive finding that researchers had hoped for, it does give justification to their belief that a bedroom TV set increases the chances for an adult to become obese. This is largely because those 12.2 hours spent watching a TV in the bedroom could very easily be spent engaging is some sort of physically productive activity.
The overall conclusive message of this study is that more studies need to be aimed at the relationship between bedroom TVs and obesity in adults. While many studies have targeted and collected convincing data supporting the claim that having a bedroom ‘tube’ as a child increases obesity risk, this study of adults is truly one of the first of its kind. It also suffered from limitations that could easily have caused for crucial evidence to be overlooked. The researchers worked with only thirty-nine subjects, which is a small test number in itself, and all of these individuals were already considered obese. This leaves a significant gap in the effect that bedroom TVs can have on a baseline standard weight person. Yet with these limits there were still important findings regarding BTVT and overall viewing.
So should I be concerned with the glowing box that can so easily screen away my entire Saturday with its comedic programming? In short, no; unless I constantly choose to watch it from the comfort of my skinny twin mattress instead of getting out and living life. The extra 1.8 hours per day a TV can steal if it is located in the bedroom is so concerning simply because of how easily it could be eliminated from the equation. Just by taking the television into a different room a person can gain at least a full extra hour in their day. A small side study showed that this extra hour of activity translated in anywhere from 119 to 150 extra calories expended each day, qualifying it as a “healthy lifestyle change” (Jones, 295). College is the perfect time for us as maturing adults to set the standards that we will hold for the rest of our life, so our waistlines will thank us if we learn the difference between relaxation and slothfulness now! And when next Saturday roles around I might watch a few episodes of that marathon, but only after I have watched the barbells rise at the gym.
P.S. Channel surfing does not qualify as a beneficial physical activity.
REFERENCES:
Jones, Katherine. "Removing the Bedroom Television Set: A Possible Method for Decreasing Television Viewing Time in Overweight and Obese Adults." Behavior Modification 34.4 (2010): 290-98. Web. 23 Oct 2010.
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