Being a Couch Potato Isn’t Hazardous to Your Health
Background: Watching television and using a computer are increasingly common sedentary behaviors.
Whether or not prolonged screen time increases the risk for mortality remains uncertain.
Study conclusions: In the present study, screen time did not significantly predict mortality from all-causes and diseases of the circulatory system.
Source: BMC Public Health HT: Aaron Carroll
That’s great news! Given the frequency of daily electronics use the opposite conclusion would have been startling.
From the study:
“Thus, the totality of the current evidence continues to suggest that prolonged screen time poses a threat to
health.”
It’s probably not just the screen time that impacts your health. Rather, it’s what you eat during screen time and at all the other times of the day. Whether or not you exercise is probably also important. If all you do is stare at a screen all day and night while stuffing your face, that probably is not a good thing.
The increase in the number of people consuming twinkies and energy drinks while sitting in front of computers all day can’t bode well for western civilization’s future.
So, are movie screens, tv screens, computer screens, and phone screens substitutes?
3 cheers for that.