WASHINGTON – When your mother told you to stop watching TV and go outside, she was right, but there’s a faster growing enemy of physical activity.
A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows the time people spend sitting in front of computers is rising dramatically.
From 2001 to 2016, leisure computer use rose between about five percent and 38 percent, depending on how old you are.
Forty-three percent of Americans now use a computer for at least two hours a day… A quarter of us use one for at least three hours.
The end result is teens spend about eight-point-two hours sitting each day, and adults sit for about six-point-four.
Sedentary behavior is known to contribute to obesity, heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
The good news is cardiologists say even short breaks of light physical activity can help offset the increased risk of heart disease.
Of course, longer more intense activity is better, but any activity is better than none.
By the way, mom was still right about television. The report found that sixty-five percent of the population reports watching at least two hours of TV a day, but at least that number hasn’t grown over the past 15 years.
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