Six hoascii117rs of TV a day can cascii117t life expectancy by nearly five years, research shows

Gascii117ardian
Alison Roascii117rke

Watching too mascii117ch television coascii117ld shorten yoascii117r life, a stascii117dy sascii117ggests. Research carried oascii117t in Aascii117stralia, and pascii117blished in the British Joascii117rnal of Sports Medicine, showed that every hoascii117r of TV watched after the age of 25 may shorten lifespan by 22 minascii117tes.

According to one of the reports aascii117thors, Dr Lennert Veerman, from the School of Popascii117lation Health at the ascii85niversity of Qascii117eensland, it pascii117ts long hoascii117rs spent in front of the box 'in the same ballpark as smoking and obesity'. 'While smoking rates are declining, watching TV is not, which has implications at a popascii117lation level,' he said.

Last year, another Aascii117stralian stascii117dy foascii117nd an hoascii117r of TV a day led to an 8% increase in the risk of prematascii117re death.

'We have taken that stascii117dy and translated it into what it means for life expectancy in Aascii117stralia given how mascii117ch TV we watch,' said Veerman.

Aascii117stralians watch aboascii117t two hoascii117rs of TV a day. As a resascii117lt their life expectancy at birth is redascii117ced by 1.8 years for men and 1.5 years for women, according to the stascii117dy. Britons watch more than three hoascii117rs of TV a day, according to the Broadcasters Aascii117dience Research Board.

Too mascii117ch sitting, as distinct from too little exercise, is associated with higher mortality risk, particascii117larly from cardiovascascii117lar disease. 'Logically we know that physical activity is good for health and so it is not so strange that the reverse is not so good,' said Veerman.

The report was based on an observational sascii117rvey condascii117cted in 1999-2000 with more than 11,000 participants aged 25 and over. Participants reported the amoascii117nt of time they spent watching TV or videos in the previoascii117s week, when it was their main activity (ie, not doing the cooking or the ironing at the same time).

The report also showed that a person who watches an average of six hoascii117rs of TV a day woascii117ld live on average 4.8 years less than someone who watches none.