Key result
Viewing television for more than 20 hours per week was associated with a 1.50-fold increased risk of metabolic syndrome in men and a 1.93-fold increased risk in women compared to viewing less than 14 hours per week.
Why the study?
Does prolonged television viewing (> 20 hr/week) increase the risk of metabolic syndrome in adults aged 40 and over?
Cross-Sectional (n=2,353)
Does prolonged television viewing (> 20 hr/week) increase the risk of metabolic syndrome in adults aged 40 and over?
Odds Ratio: 1.5 (95% CI 1.1–2.03)
Prolonged television viewing (>20 hours/week) is an independent risk factor for metabolic syndrome in Taiwanese adults, even after adjusting for physical activity levels.
Suggests limiting screen time may mitigate metabolic risk; leaves open whether this association is causal or confounded.
BACKGROUND: As a result of metabolic syndrome becoming an important issue during recent decades, many studies have explored the risk factors contributing to its development. However, less attention has been paid to the risk associated with sedentary behavior, especially television viewing. This study examined the association between television viewing time and the risk of having metabolic syndrome in a population of Taiwanese subjects. METHODS: This community-based cross-sectional study included 2,353 subjects (1,144 men and 1,209 women) aged 40 and over from October, 2004 to September, 2005. Information about the time spent watching TV was obtained using a self-administered questionnaire. The definition of metabolic syndrome was according to the Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Treatment Panel modified for Asians. RESULTS: Compared to subjects who viewed TV < 14 hr/week, those who viewed TV > 20 hr/week had a 1.50-fold (95% confidence intervals (CI): 1.10, 2.03) risk for men and a 1.93-fold (95% CI: 1.37, 2.71) risk for women of having metabolic syndrome, after adjusting for physical activity and other covariates. Stratifying by the three categories of total activity levels, TV viewing time > 20 hr/week was found to still hold a significant risk for having metabolic syndrome in the lowest of the three categories of total activity level for men and in all three categories of total activity level for women. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that TV viewing is an independent risk factor associated with metabolic syndrome in Taiwanese people.
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Chang et al. (2008) conducted a cross-sectional in Metabolic syndrome (n=2,353). Television viewing > 20 hr/week vs. Television viewing < 14 hr/week was evaluated on Metabolic syndrome (OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.10-2.03). Viewing television for more than 20 hours per week was associated with a 1.50-fold increased risk of metabolic syndrome in men and a 1.93-fold increased risk in women compared to viewing less than 14 hours per week.