American Journal of Public Health, 10.2105/AJPH.2005.080580
1 Harvard School of Public Health & Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: gbennett{at}hsph.harvard.edu.
Objectives. We evaluated the association between television viewing and pedometer-determined physical activity among predominantly racial/ethnic minority residents of low-income housing in metropolitan Boston in 2005. Methods.We used mixed models to analyze the association between reported hours of television viewing and pedometer-determined steps per day among 486 adults. We also examined whether television viewing was associated with the achievement of 10000 steps per day. Results. There was a mean 3.6 hours of average daily television watching. In multivariable analyses, each hour of television viewing on an average day was associated with 144 (95% confidence interval [CI]=-276, -12) fewer steps per day and a decreased likelihood of accumulating 10 000 steps per day (odds ratio [OR]=0.84; 95% CI=0.71, 0.99). Weekday and weekend television viewing were each also associated with fewer steps per day. Conclusions. Average daily television viewing was associated with reductions in total pedometer-determined physical activity levels (approximately 520 steps per day) in this lower-income sample. As part of a comprehensive physical activity promotion plan, recommendations to reduce television viewing should be made. Key Words: Exercise/Physical Activity, Obesity, Overweight, Underweight, Prevention, Socioeconomic Factors, Urban Health
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