Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress 2023 EHA Congress 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

A round-up of the ONWARDS phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the novel weekly insulin icodec in people with diabetes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Annals of Behavioral Medicine
Published in: Annals of Behavioral Medicine 2/2009

01-10-2009 | Original Article

Is Television Viewing a Suitable Marker of Sedentary Behavior in Young People?

Authors: Stuart J. H. Biddle, Ph.D., Trish Gorely, Ph.D., Simon J. Marshall, Ph.D.

Published in: Annals of Behavioral Medicine | Issue 2/2009

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Television (TV) viewing is a highly prevalent sedentary behavior in young people and has played a significant role in the assessment of sedentary behaviors. An important question to be addressed is to what extent TV viewing is a suitable indicator, or marker, of overall levels of sedentary behavior in children and adolescents. This has not yet been attempted in youth, but has already been attempted in Australian adults.

Purpose

This study was conducted to test whether TV viewing in UK teenagers is a marker of sedentary behavior more broadly and to see if the results mirror those of Australian adults.

Methods

Ecological momentary assessment time-use diaries were completed by 561 boys and 923 girls (mean age 14.67 years) in which weekday and weekend out-of-school time behaviors were recorded every 15 min.

Results

TV viewing was negatively associated with other leisure-time sedentary behaviors for both boys and girls for weekdays and weekends. Higher levels of TV viewing were associated with less time in other key sedentary behaviors, such as computer use in boys and motorized transport in girls.

Conclusions

TV viewing appears not to reflect additional time in other sedentary behaviors in British teenagers, in contrast to data from Australian women. Studies of sedentary behavior should encompass as wide a range of behaviors as possible.
Footnotes
1
We are grateful to an anonymous reviewer for raising this issue.
 
Literature
1.
Pate RR, O’Neill JR, Lobelo F. The evolving definition of ‘sedentary’. Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 2008; 36(4): 173–178.CrossRefPubMed
2.
Smith AL, Biddle SJH. Youth physical activity and sedentary behavior: challenges and solutions. Champaign: Human Kinetics; 2008.
3.
Gorely T, Marshall SJ, Biddle SJH, Cameron N. The prevalence of leisure time sedentary behaviour and physical activity in adolescent girls: an ecological momentary assessment approach. Int J Pediatr Obes. 2007; 2(4): 227–234.CrossRefPubMed
4.
Gorely T, Marshall SJ, Biddle SJH, Cameron N. Patterns of sedentary behaviour and physical activity among adolescents in the United Kingdom: project STIL. J Behav Med. 2007; 30(6): 521–531.CrossRefPubMed
5.
Marshall SJ, Biddle SJH, Sallis JF, McKenzie TL, Conway TL. Clustering of sedentary behaviours and physical activity among youth: a cross-national study. Pediatr Exerc Sci. 2002; 14: 401–417.
6.
Marshall SJ, Gorely T, Biddle SJH. A descriptive epidemiology of screen-based media use in youth: a review and critique. J Adolesc. 2006; 29(3): 333–349.CrossRefPubMed
7.
Olds T, Ridley K, Dollman J. Screenieboppers and extreme screenies: the place of screen time in the time budgets of 10–13 year-old Australian children. Aust N Z J Public Health. 2006; 30(2): 137–142.CrossRefPubMed
8.
Viner RM, Cole TJ. Television viewing in early childhood predicts adult body mass index. J Pediatr. 2005; 147: 429–435.CrossRefPubMed
9.
Marshall SJ, Biddle SJH, Gorely T, Cameron N, Murdey I. Relationships between media use, body fatness and physical activity in children and youth: a meta-analysis. Int J Obes. 2004; 28: 1238–1246.CrossRef
10.
Sugiyama T, Healy GN, Dunstan DW, Salmon J, Owen N. Is television viewing time a marker of a broader pattern of sedentary behavior? Ann Behav Med. 2008; 35: 245–250.CrossRefPubMed
11.
Department for Education and Skills/Department for Transport. Travelling to school: an action plan. London: DfES; 2003.
12.
Smyth JM, Stone AR. Ecological momentary assessment research in behavioral medicine. J Happiness Stud. 2003; 4: 35–52.CrossRef
13.
Saudargas RA, Zanolli K. Momentary time sampling as an estimate of percentage time: a field validation. J Appl Behav Anal. 1990; 23: 533–537.CrossRefPubMed
14.
Baranowski T, Jago R. Understanding mechanisms of change in children’s physical activity programs. Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 2005; 33(4): 163–168.CrossRefPubMed
15.
16.
American Academy of Pediatrics. Television and the family. Elk Grove Village III: American Academy of Pediatrics; 1986.
17.
Sallis JF, Prochaska JJ, Taylor WC. A review of correlates of physical activity of children and adolescents. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2000; 32: 963–975.CrossRefPubMed
18.
Epstein LH, Roemmich JN. Reducing sedentary behaviour: role in modifying physical activity. Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 2001; 29(3): 103–108.CrossRefPubMed
Metadata
Title
Is Television Viewing a Suitable Marker of Sedentary Behavior in Young People?
Authors
Stuart J. H. Biddle, Ph.D.
Trish Gorely, Ph.D.
Simon J. Marshall, Ph.D.
Publication date
01-10-2009
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
Annals of Behavioral Medicine / Issue 2/2009
Print ISSN: 0883-6612
Electronic ISSN: 1532-4796
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-009-9136-1

Other articles of this Issue 2/2009

Annals of Behavioral Medicine 2/2009 Go to the issue

Original Article

More Evidence that Depressive Symptoms Predict Mortality in COPD Patients: Is Type D Personality an Alternative Explanation?

Rapid Communication

Depressed Affect is Associated with Poorer Cardiovascular Recovery in Young Women Following a Mental Stressor

Original Article

Can a Motivational Intervention Overcome an Unsupportive Environment for Walking—Findings from the Step-by-Step Study

Original Article

The Role of Spirituality in the Relationship Between Religiosity and Depression in Prostate Cancer Patients

Original Article

A Randomized Trial of Tailoring and Motivational Interviewing to Promote Fruit and Vegetable Consumption for Cancer Prevention and Control

Rapid Communication

Socioeconomic Status and Psychosocial Mechanisms of Lifestyle Change in a Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Trial