Lack of exercise can cause physical as well as psychological health problems, according to Ohio State University. In a 2004 study, older adults with lung disease completed a 10-week exercise program followed by a self-administered home exercise regimen. After the first phase, participants saw psychological and physical improvement. Those who failed to complete the second stage lost nearly all of their psychological and physical gains. While Americans are getting less exercise, whether or not computers are to blame is being debated.
Teen Obesity
In 2004, the average male high school student spent 15.2 hours a week in front of a computer, an increase of nearly five hours since 1999. Girls went from 8.8 hours of computer time each week to 11.1 hours. While it would make sense to think that computers are interfering with exercise and play a crucial role in the obesity epidemic, one report has shown otherwise. According to a 2009 study by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, even though young people have greater access to computer devices, daily physical education attendance rates have improved.
Statistics
Groups that follow obesity trends in the United States seem to align with the Johns Hopkins Study. The biggest jump in obesity was between 1960, when 13.4 percent of adults were overweight, and 2006, when 35.1 percent of the population was overweight. Between 1999 and 2008, there has been no change in obesity rates, according to the Weight Control Information Network. In 2000, 51 percent of American households had one or more computers. In 2005, researchers at Indiana University polled 4,153 families and found that 88.9 percent owned a personal computer, and slightly fewer had Internet access. So while computer ownership was on a sharp trajectory upward, overweight and obesity rates were staying the same.
Lack of Exercise
Regardless of what is causing Americans to gain so much weight, the fact is that lack of exercise causes early death and chronic disease. Lack of exercise is strongly linked to diabetes, cancer, obesity and a higher risk of death. To find out what people are doing, A 2009 poll by the Institute of Medicine and Public Health found that Americans spend on average of 56 hours a week behind a computer, at the wheel of a car, watching TV -- in other words, physically inactive.
Expert Insight
James Levine, a Mayo Clinic endocrinologist, reports that humans have evolved over millions of years to stand upright and move. Technology, however, has forced most people to sit still. Not just people who have a desk job either. Thanks to the Internet, fewer people are running errands outside of the home, going to the mall or even just walking to the mailbox. Americans may be more productive than ever, but lack of movement is cutting life short. When you sit for long periods of time, the body's metabolism slows and burns fewer calories. The less you move, according to an article published in "Women's Health," the more likely you are to get diabetes, heart disease and depression.
References
- Medical News Today: Lack of Exercise Causes Psychological as Well as Physical Setbacks
- Pubmed.gov: How Active are American Adolescents and Have they Become Less Active?
- NDRI.com: High Computer Use Dropping Physical Activity Among Teens
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: Decrease in Physical Activity May Not Be a Factor in Increased Obesity Rates Among Adolescents
- Current Population Reports: Home Computers and Internet Use in the United States
- Weight Control Information Network: Statistics
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