Short Video Viewing, and Not Sedentary Time, Is Associated with Overweightness/Obesity among Chinese Women

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Obesity Research

Background:

• The relationship between sedentary time (ST) and overweightness/obesity is complex and may vary by sedentary behavior type.
• Short video viewing (SVV) is a prevalent leisure activity among older Chinese adults, particularly women, but its link to obesity is undetermined.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the associations between ST, SVV, and overweightness/obesity indicators in community-dwelling older Chinese women.
• To determine if SVV is an independent risk factor for overweightness/obesity in this demographic.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional analysis of 1105 women aged 60-70 years from the Physical Activity and Health in Older Women Study.
• Objective measurement of ST using accelerometers and estimation of SVV via questionnaire.
• Assessment of overweightness/obesity indicators (BMI, BFR, FM, VFM, SFM, TFM, LFM) using bioimpedance analysis.

Main Results:

• ST showed positive associations with all overweightness/obesity indicators, but these disappeared after adjusting for moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA).
• Higher SVV time was independently associated with increased BMI, body fat ratio, fat mass, visceral fat mass, subcutaneous fat mass, trunk fat mass, and limb fat mass.
• Short food video viewing demonstrated a stronger association with overweightness/obesity compared to non-food SVV.

Conclusions:

• SVV, especially food-related content, is an independent risk factor for overweightness/obesity in older Chinese women.
• Reducing SVV, rather than general ST, may be a more effective strategy for preventing overweightness/obesity in public health policies for this population.