HORROR SHOW
Too much TV doubles risk of early death
COMING home from work and sitting in front of the television set with the children may increase the risk of premature death for everyone involved, research shows.
A study, released yesterday, of 13,284 young and healthy Spanish university graduates found that adults who watch TV for three hours or more each day double their risk of premature death compared with those who watch less. It matched other research that found increased TV viewing time in children led to higher obesity rates.
The study’s lead author, University of Navarra professor Miguel Martinez-Gonzalez, said the findings were consistent with a range of previous studies where time spent watching TV was linked to mortality.
‘‘Television viewing is a major sedentary behaviour and there is an increasing trend toward all types of sedentary behaviours,’’ he said. ‘‘Our findings suggest adults may consider increasing their physical activity, avoid long sedentary periods and reduce television watching to no longer than one to two hours each day.’’
The participants were followed for an average of 8.2 years. Researchers reported 97 deaths, with 19 deaths from cardiovascular causes, 46 from cancer and 32 from other causes.
Auckland University of Technology associate professor Ralph Maddison said that while there was no national data on sitting times in New Zealand, an Australian study had similar findings to the Spanish study. Sitting for long periods reduced blood circulation and increased the risk of cardiovascular issues, he said, but it was good to see initiatives in sedentary workplaces, such as standing desks or walking treadmills.
‘‘The message is getting out about reducing sedentary activities,’’ he said.
There are concerns about the amount of time children spend in front of TV sets. Ministry of Health figures show one in two children under the age of 14 watches two or more hours of TV a day.
More than a third of New Zealand’s youth spend about five hours a day watching TV, and the childhood obesity rate has increased from 8 per cent in 2006-07 to 11 per cent in 2012-13.
An Otago University study published in 2013 followed a group of about 1000 children born in Dunedin in 1972-73 and found that the more TV they watched, the more likely they were to have a criminal conviction in adulthood.
‘‘While we’re not saying that television causes all antisocial behaviour, our findings do suggest that reducing TV viewing could go some way towards reducing rates of antisocial behaviour in society,’’ co-author Bob Hancox said.
The American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or at least 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity each week. People should also do moderate to high-intensity muscle strengthening at least two days a week.