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It's official - Turn off the tube and computer

Sometimes research validates plain old common sense.  This one I had to mention.
 
The average American watches 4 hours of television per day . . not to mention the additional hours we increasingly spend in front of our computers.
 
This month's American Journal of Public Health reports a study on about 1000 Boston low income residents who watched 3.6 hours of TV daily.  The intent of the study was to determine how the amount of TV viewing impacted the average number of steps taken per day.  Incredibly, no one had ever really studied the direct correlation between TV watching and pedometer readings.
 
For each hour of TV viewing, 144 fewer steps were taken each day - or, for the average person watching 3-4 hours of TV, a total of 520 fewer steps per day.  For the average individual, they were nearly 50% less likely to get 10,000 steps per day.  And this study doesn't include the several hours per day of personal (home) computer use that has also been documented in other studies.
 
So. . . put down the remote (AFTER turning the TV and/or computer off) . . walk out the door and get moving!
 
Have a great weekend.
 
Dr Mike
Published Sep 08 2006, 09:32 AM by mparkinson

Comments

 

Irish1 said:

We try to practice no tv and pc during the school week.  It makes a big difference,
November 26, 2006 6:55 PM
 

Molly said:

My husband and I don't watch much tv, but when we do we each prefer different shows, so we purchased a spin bike and a stepping machine and put it in the spare room with the extra tv, now I can watch the program I want without disturbing him and I have to workout, since there isn't any furniture in the room.
January 23, 2007 5:38 PM
 

klhester said:

During the week, we don't have time to watch TV.  We usually eat dinner and then go to our gym.  But our kids are older and we have one person staying home to get the kids to do their homework right after school.  We're pretty lucky.  A lot of two-earner families have a lot less time.
February 11, 2007 4:48 PM

About mparkinson

Dr. Mike, EVP and Chief Health and Medical Officer, is responsible for the strategic direction and health care management at Lumenos. Formerly Director of Medical Programs and Resources for the U.S. Air Force, he was responsible for policy and planning for the Medical Service with over 2 million beneficiaries, 70 facilities and a $4 billion budget. A retired colonel, he served as deputy director of Air Force Medical Operations and chief of preventive medicine. He is President-Elect of the American College of Preventive Medicine and a member of the Institute of Medicine Committee reviewing NASA prevention programs, the Armed Forces Epidemiological Board. Mike is a recipient of the Air Force Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Service Award of the American College of Preventive Medicine and Distinguished Recent Graduate Award from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. He received his A.B. from Cornell University, M.D. from George Washington University, family practice training at the UCLA and his M.P.H., preventive medicine residency and chief residency at the Johns Hopkins University.

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