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Electronic Letters to:
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eLetters: Electronic letters published:
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Response to : GG Bennett et al.
- Larry G. Morton II (23 October 2006)
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Larry G. Morton II, Ph.D Student/NIMH Fellow George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis
Send letter to journal:
lmorton{at}gwbmail.wustl.edu Larry G. Morton II
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In the September 2006 issue, Bennett et al. found that average daily television viewing was associated with reductions in total number of steps taken per day in a sample of people with low-incomes. This finding supports those of Bowman, which indicate that more than 2 hours of television viewing daily was associated with obesity in those persons with household incomes below the federal poverty level. The authors should also be commended for focusing their research on low-income minorities. I had a few concerns/questions regarding the study. First, the exclusion criteria used in determining the ineligibility of the 315 of the participants were not fully described. The article states that 14 were found ineligible due to cancer histories, but no other criteria were stated, such as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, and asthma that are often prevalent among low-income persons.3 Second, was there a consideration of excluding those over 70 years of age in the study? Their substantially lower number of steps per day (3217 steps/day) was 1087 steps/day less than the next lowest category (those in the 60-69 age category), which could affect the overall results of this study. There is much heterogeneity in the physical activity levels of those over 70 years; however, Bowman (2006), among other researchers,4,5 has noted the tendency toward lower activity levels and lower intensity of activities in the elderly. Knowledge of the participants' overall health status and an understanding of participants' exclusion criteria would also be very helpful in understanding/interpreting the inclusion of those over 70 in the study. Lastly, there is some concern that people as young as 18 years are studied along with the elderly. The wide span in ages would seem to automatically lower the average steps taken per day for the study sample as a whole. Perhaps this study would have been more generalizable if separate studies were done: one for younger working-age adults (18 to 40 years), older working adults (41 to 64 years), and another for those over 65 years, who are at or near retirement age. Research into the health of low-income minorities is very important. I look forward to future studies in this area. Thank you. Sincerely, Larry Morton, MSW, MA Ph.D. Student NIMH Fellow George Warren Brown School of Social Work Washington University in St. Louis References 1 Bennett, GG, Wolin, KY, Viswanath, K, Askew, S, Puleo, E, Emmons, KM. Television viewing and pedometer-determined physical activity among multiethnic residents of low-income housing. American Journal of Public Health. Sept 2005; 96(9), 1681-1685. 2 Bowman SA. Television-viewing characteristics of adults: Correlations to eating practices and overweight health status. Preventing Chronic Disease [serial outline] 2006 Apr. Available from: URL: http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2006/apr/05_0139.htm. 3 US Department of Health and Human Services. Physical activity and health: A report of the surgeon general. Atlanta (GA): US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Promotion, 1996. 4 Meijer EP, Goris AHC, Wouters L, Westerterp KR. Physical inactivity as a determinant of the physical activity level in the elderly. International Journal of Obesity. 2001; 25: 935-939. 5 Visser M, Pluijm SMF, Stel VS, Bosscher RJ, Deeg DJH. Physical activity as a determinant of change in mobility performance: The longitudinal aging study Amsterdam. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 2002; 50: 1774-1781. |
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