title: Effects of television on metabolic rate: potential implications for childhood obesity.
abstract: The effects of television viewing on resting energy expenditure (metabolic rate) in obese and normal-weight children were studied in a laboratory setting. Subjects were 15 obese children and 16 normal-weight children whose ages ranged from 8 to 12 years. All subjects had two measured of resting energy expenditure obtained while at rest and one measurement of energy expenditure taken while viewing television. Results indicated that metabolic rate during television viewing was significantly lower (mean decrease of 211 kcal extrapolated to a day) than during rest. Obese children tended to have a larger decrease, although this difference was not statistically significant (262 kcal/d vs 167 kcal/d, respectively). It was concluded that television viewing has a fairly profound lowering effect of metabolic rate and may be a mechanism for the relationship between obesity and amount of television viewing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Memphis State University, TN 38152.
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Klesges
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Shelton
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Klesges
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012741:Sexual Maturation; D012885:Skinfold Thickness; D013690:Television / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013997:Time Factors