Eating in front of the TV faster leads to overweight and obesity

Experts are studying the effects of eating in front of the TV
There are many people who have problems with their ideal weight. Sufferers often suffer from obesity or obesity. The views about the reasons for these weight problems are mostly different. Researchers now found that the habit of eating in front of the TV could be to blame for weight gain.

Researchers at Ohio's College of Medicine's Government Resource Center and Ohio State's College of Public Health found that the worldwide increase in obesity may be related to a modern-day habit that many people perform night after night. Consumption of dinner in front of the TV seems to be a big factor in worldwide weight gain. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics".

It does not just seem to matter what we eat with the family in the evening, but also where we eat, if we want to avoid being overweight. Experts found that eating in front of the TV increases the likelihood of overweight and obesity. (Image: Kzenon - fotolia)

Many people suffer from obesity and obesity
Obesity affects more than a third of the population of the United States, according to data from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In other words, one in three adults in the US is obese. More than one in twenty Americans suffers from extreme obesity, say the experts. This is a significant risk factor for several diseases including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some types of cancer.

Eating in front of the TV makes you fat
The researchers investigated a link between eating in families and the risk of obesity. The experts found that people who watch television do not have the lowest probability of becoming overweight at dinner time.

Physicians analyze data from almost 13,000 people
The scientists used data from the 2012 Ohio Medicaid Assessment Survey for their study. The study looked at adults who lived in Ohio and ate at least one family dinner last week. In total, almost 13,000 people were interviewed.

Experts use BMI to determine obesity
To determine possible obesity, the scientists used the so-called Body Mass Index (BMI). This medical experts calculated on the basis of survey with the specified weight and size. The researchers then used so-called logistic regression models to analyze the link between obesity and family meal patterns. They were based on factors such as employment and marital status, educational attainment, ethnicity and age, the researchers explain.

How many times did subjects eat with their family?
Overall, more than half of the participants said they ate together as a family most days of the week. Thirty-five percent of those surveyed reported family meals on only a few days a week, with 13 percent rarely eating with the family.

How many participants saw television during family meals?
About one third of the participants were classified as obese and one third of the subjects also watched television predominantly during meals. Thirty-six percent of respondents said they did not watch TV or video games during their family meals. In addition, 62 percent of the subjects stated that the meals were completely cooked at home. The study found no association between the frequency of family meals and the risk of obesity, the authors add.

Effects of meals with the family
When subjects ate with their family most days of the week (about 6 to 7 days), the odds of developing obesity were as high as those who rarely attended family meals.

Abstaining from television reduces the likelihood of obesity
If attendees never watched family dinner watching television, they were 37 percent less likely to be obese, the researchers say. This correlation was independent of the composition of the meals. The lowest probability of obesity occurring was found in families who consumed homemade food and did not eat in front of the TV, the authors add. (As)