UVM Theses and Dissertations
Format:
Print
Author:
Shea, Bridget
Dept./Program:
Nutritional Sciences
Year:
2010
Degree:
MS
Abstract:
Context: The average adult is overweight or obese and watches upwards of five hours of television daily. Television viewing is a sedentary behavior that is associated with an increased risk for obesity and decreased dietary quality. In children and adolescents, research has shown that television reductions can decrease energy intake and improve body composition and diet quality. However, the effect of television reductions in adults remains unknown. Objective: To investigate the effects of reducing television-viewing time on dietary quality, using a measure of energy density, in overweight and obese adults.
Design: Randomized controlled trial implementing an in horne-based protocol consisting oftwo phases from January through July 2008. Phase 1 was a three-week long baseline observation phase. Upon completion of Phase 1, Phase 2 was initiated after subjects were stratified by BMI and randomized to either an observation-only control (n=16) or television reduction intervention group (n=20). Phase 2 was also three weeks in duration. Three (two weekend and one weekday) 24-hour diet recalls were used at the end of each phase to measure dietary intake. Participants: 36 healthy adults living in the Burlington, Vermont area with a BMI of 2550 kg/m² whose self-reported daily television-viewing time was a minimum of 3 hours/day.
Intervention: Television-viewing time was reduced by 50% of each subjects' objectively measured baseline viewing time. Main Outcome Measure: Energy density by location (in front of the television versus not) and change in dietary energy density. Results: Phase 1 dietary energy density was a significant predictor of Phase 2 dietary energy density (P=O. OO1), but there was no difference between conditions in Phase 2 after adjusting for the Phase 1 mean (P=0.821). In addition, there was no significant difference between mean energy density of foods consumed in front of the television versus not (1.44 ± 0.06 kcals/g vs. 1.56 ± 0.12 kcals/g, respectively, P=0.303). Conclusions: The energy density of foods consumed in front of the television was not different than that of foods eaten elsewhere. In addition, a three-week television reduction intervention in overweight and obese adults failed to produce a change in the energy density of foods consumed.
Design: Randomized controlled trial implementing an in horne-based protocol consisting oftwo phases from January through July 2008. Phase 1 was a three-week long baseline observation phase. Upon completion of Phase 1, Phase 2 was initiated after subjects were stratified by BMI and randomized to either an observation-only control (n=16) or television reduction intervention group (n=20). Phase 2 was also three weeks in duration. Three (two weekend and one weekday) 24-hour diet recalls were used at the end of each phase to measure dietary intake. Participants: 36 healthy adults living in the Burlington, Vermont area with a BMI of 2550 kg/m² whose self-reported daily television-viewing time was a minimum of 3 hours/day.
Intervention: Television-viewing time was reduced by 50% of each subjects' objectively measured baseline viewing time. Main Outcome Measure: Energy density by location (in front of the television versus not) and change in dietary energy density. Results: Phase 1 dietary energy density was a significant predictor of Phase 2 dietary energy density (P=O. OO1), but there was no difference between conditions in Phase 2 after adjusting for the Phase 1 mean (P=0.821). In addition, there was no significant difference between mean energy density of foods consumed in front of the television versus not (1.44 ± 0.06 kcals/g vs. 1.56 ± 0.12 kcals/g, respectively, P=0.303). Conclusions: The energy density of foods consumed in front of the television was not different than that of foods eaten elsewhere. In addition, a three-week television reduction intervention in overweight and obese adults failed to produce a change in the energy density of foods consumed.