Adults in the United States spend more than half of their waking hours in sedentary pursuits such as television viewing, computer use, or driving.
According to new research published this month in the Journal of the American Heart Association, adults who watch three or more hours of television per day have double the risk of premature death compared to those who watch less.
“Watching television is significant sedentary behavior, there being a growing tendency towards this lifestyle behavior pattern,” highlighted lead researcher Miguel A. Martínez-González. “Our results are consistent with a previous series of studies in which the time spent watching television is linked to mortality.”
The risk of death was twofold higher for participants who watched three or more hours of television per day compared to those who watched one hour less. There was no association found with computer use or driving.
Recommendations from the researchers include:
- Increase physical activity
- Avoid long periods of sedentary inactivity
- Reduce exposure to television to not more than one or two hours a day
Want to learn more:
Television Viewing, Computer Use, Time Driving and All‐Cause Mortality: The SUN Cohort: http://jaha.ahajournals.org/content/3/3/e000864.full