title: Association of Television Viewing Time with Body Composition and Calcified Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Singapore Chinese.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Sedentary behavior such as television viewing may be an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease. However, few studies have assessed the impact of television viewing time on coronary artery calcification and it remains unclear how body fat contributes to this relationship. The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between television viewing time and subclinical atherosclerosis and whether effects on visceral or subcutaneous fat may mediate any associations observed.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional study of 398 Chinese participants (192 men and 206 women) from Singapore prospective study. Participants were free from known cardiovascular diseases and underwent interview, health screening, computed tomography scans of coronary arteries and abdomen. Spearman's correlation was used to test the correlation between television viewing time, physical activity, body composition and abdominal fat distribution. The association between television viewing time and subclinical atherosclerosis was assessed by multiple logistic regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In men, television viewing time was significantly correlated with higher body fat mass index, percent body fat, subcutaneous and visceral fat. These associations were in the same direction, but weaker and not statistically significant in women. Television viewing time (hours/day) was associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in men (odds ratio: 1.41, 95% CI: 1.03-1.93) but no significant association was observed in women (odds ratio: 0.88, 95% CI: 0.59-1.31) after adjusting for potential socio-demographic and lifestyle confounders. Further adjustments for biological factors did not affect these associations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Television viewing time was associated with greater adiposity and higher subcutaneous and visceral fat in men. TV viewing time was also associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in men and the potential mechanisms underlying this association require further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore.
authors.forename: Ei Ei Khaing
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Nang
authors.affiliation: Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore; Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore; Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors.forename: Rob M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: van Dam
authors.affiliation: Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore.
authors.forename: Chuen Seng
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore; Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore; Institute for Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charite Univeristy Medical Centre, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Falk
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mueller-Riemenschneider
authors.affiliation: Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore.
authors.forename: Yi Ting
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore.
authors.forename: Kai Zhi
authors.initials: KZ
authors.lastname: Ong
authors.affiliation: Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore.
authors.forename: Siqing
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ee
authors.affiliation: Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore.
authors.forename: Jeannette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore; Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore.
authors.forename: E Shyong
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Tai
mesh_terms: D050153:Abdominal Fat / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D050154:Adiposity; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People / Q000208:ethnology; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001823:Body Composition; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D061330:Multidetector Computed Tomography; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012846:Singapore; D013690:Television; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose