Television (TV) viewing appears to be associated with obesity, physical activity, and dietary behaviors of children and adolescents and may represent a modifiable cause of childhood obesity in the United States. We analyzed data from the 1999 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a representative sample (N=15,349) of US high school students, to examine racial, ethnic, and gender differences in associations between time spent watching TV on an average school day and overweight, physical inactivity, and fruit and vegetable consumption. Logistic regression was used to test associations controlling for demographic characteristics of students. TV viewing exceeded 2 hours/day among 43% of students, and was greater among black (74%) and Hispanic (52%) than white (34%) students. Overall, 11% of students were overweight, 30% of students did not meet recommended levels of moderate or vigorous physical activity, and 76% of students ate fewer than 5 servings/day of fruits and vegetables. Watching TV more than 2 hours/day was associated with being overweight, physically inactive, and eating insufficient fruits and vegetables among white females, and with being overweight and eating insufficient fruits and vegetables among white males. Among Hispanic females, TV viewing was associated only with being overweight. TV viewing and being physically inactive were inversely related among black males. No significant associations were found among Hispanic males and black females. These findings suggest the presence of cultural factors that must be taken into account when developing interventions to promote physical activity, healthy eating, and healthy weight through reduced TV viewing among adolescents.
Learning Objectives: 1. Describe the prevalence and demographic distribution of television (TV) viewing, overweight, physical inactivity, and fruit and vegetable consumption among US high school students. 2. Identify significant associations between time spent watching TV and overweight, physical inactivity, and fruit and vegetable consumption, among the total student population and specific racial, ethnic, and gender subgroups. 3. Discuss the implications of these findings for developing interventions to promote physical activity, healthy eating, and healthy weight through reductions in TV viewing among US adolescents.
Keywords: Physical Activity, Adolescent Health
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