Excessive television viewing causes obesity
Amy Witherby
Issue date: 3/3/04 Section: College Living
Many Americans seem to love to watch the boob tube.
In fact, the United States is more devoted to watching TV than one may think. According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., the average American watches television for more than four hours per day. That is the same as about two months of non-stop television viewing per year.
According to Nielsen's statistics, an average 65 year-old will have spent nine years of their lives watching TV.
This abundance of television in people's lives is not only time-consuming, but may be hazardous. According to the American Journal of Public Health, one-third of American adults today are overweight, and an adult who watches three hours of television per day, is more likely to be obese than an adult who watches less than one hour.
However, this is not the only weight issue related to television. Many commercials, sitcoms, dramas and other television programs bombard female viewers with thin, beautiful women.
According to research done by the TV Turnoff Network, the models and actresses seen on television are, on average, 23 percent thinner than the average American woman. They are also thinner than 95 percent of the women in America.
TTN also found that 75 percent of American women think they are too overweight, a line of thinking that can lead to bulimia or anorexia and is fueled by the images seen everyday on television.
Research conducted by The Green Mountain Waldorf School also found that television damages creativity, imagination and linear cognitive development.
With the threat of image problems, lack of creativity and, perhaps the most serious threat, obesity, spending four hours a day watching television does not seem wise. However, it is quite simple to change this behavior into something good.
Dr. William Dietz, the Director of the Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity at the Centers for Disease Control, said, "The easiest way to reduce inactivity is to turn off the TV set. Almost anything else uses more energy than watching TV."
In fact, the United States is more devoted to watching TV than one may think. According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., the average American watches television for more than four hours per day. That is the same as about two months of non-stop television viewing per year.
According to Nielsen's statistics, an average 65 year-old will have spent nine years of their lives watching TV.
This abundance of television in people's lives is not only time-consuming, but may be hazardous. According to the American Journal of Public Health, one-third of American adults today are overweight, and an adult who watches three hours of television per day, is more likely to be obese than an adult who watches less than one hour.
However, this is not the only weight issue related to television. Many commercials, sitcoms, dramas and other television programs bombard female viewers with thin, beautiful women.
According to research done by the TV Turnoff Network, the models and actresses seen on television are, on average, 23 percent thinner than the average American woman. They are also thinner than 95 percent of the women in America.
TTN also found that 75 percent of American women think they are too overweight, a line of thinking that can lead to bulimia or anorexia and is fueled by the images seen everyday on television.
Research conducted by The Green Mountain Waldorf School also found that television damages creativity, imagination and linear cognitive development.
With the threat of image problems, lack of creativity and, perhaps the most serious threat, obesity, spending four hours a day watching television does not seem wise. However, it is quite simple to change this behavior into something good.
Dr. William Dietz, the Director of the Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity at the Centers for Disease Control, said, "The easiest way to reduce inactivity is to turn off the TV set. Almost anything else uses more energy than watching TV."
