Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Sedentary behaviour and obesity.

Margot Shields1, Mark S Tremblay

  • 1Health Information and Research Division, Statistics Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Margot.Shields@statcan.ca

Health Reports
|July 23, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Referrals to child and family services during the COVID-19 pandemic: An analysis of administrative data from British Columbia and Northwest Territories, Canada.

Child abuse & neglect·2025
Same author

Health status among women and men in Canada who reported experiences of non-physical intimate partner violence, Canada.

Preventive medicine reports·2025
Same author

Determinants of nonphysical intimate partner violence: a cross-sectional study with nationally representative data from Canada.

American journal of epidemiology·2024
Same author

Global prevalence and gender inequalities in at least 60 min of self-reported moderate-to-vigorous physical activity 1 or more days per week: An analysis with 707,616 adolescents.

Journal of sport and health science·2023
Same author

Child and youth physical activity throughout the COVID-19 pandemic: The changing role of the neighbourhood built and social environments.

Health & place·2023
Same author

Exercise breaks prevent attenuation in cerebrovascular function following an acute bout of uninterrupted sitting in healthy children.

Experimental physiology·2023
Same journal

Patient experiences with virtual health care in Canada: Modes of delivery and satisfaction with care.

Health reports·2026
Same journal

Canadian Active Living Environments 2.0: Development of an open-source pipeline for the replication and extension of the Canadian Active Living Environments measure.

Health reports·2026
Same journal

Enhancing the OncoSim-Breast model using Canadian breast density information.

Health reports·2026
Same journal

Geographic variation in female breast cancer incidence and mortality in Canada.

Health reports·2026
Same journal

Prevalence and correlates of self-reported fair or poor oral health in Canada.

Health reports·2026
Same journal

Validating the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale for the positive mental health surveillance of adults in Canada.

Health reports·2026
See all related articles

High television viewing and computer use are linked to obesity in Canadian adults. Reading habits did not show a significant association with obesity in this study.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology
  • Obesity Research

Background:

  • Sedentary behaviors are increasingly recognized as a significant public health concern.
  • Understanding the relationship between specific sedentary activities and obesity is crucial for targeted interventions.
  • Previous research has indicated potential links, but specific associations require further investigation in diverse populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between sedentary behaviors, including television viewing, computer use, and reading, and obesity prevalence.
  • To examine these relationships among Canadian adults aged 20 to 64 years.
  • To determine if these associations persist after controlling for sociodemographic factors, physical activity, and diet.

Main Methods:

Related Experiment Videos

  • Analysis of data from 42,612 respondents of the 2007 Canadian Community Health Survey.
  • Use of cross-tabulations to compare obesity prevalence based on time spent in sedentary behaviors.
  • Application of multiple logistic regression models to assess independent associations.

    • Main Results:

    • Obesity prevalence was higher in adults reporting extensive television viewing (≥21 hours/week) compared to those with minimal viewing (≤5 hours/week).
    • Frequent computer use (≥11 hours/week) was associated with increased odds of obesity in both men and women.
    • No significant association was found between time spent reading and obesity prevalence.

    Conclusions:

    • Excessive television viewing and computer use are independently associated with higher obesity rates in Canadian adults.
    • Sedentary behaviors, particularly screen time, represent a modifiable risk factor for obesity.
    • Public health strategies should address reducing prolonged sedentary activities to combat obesity.