Fitness class
Getting the recommended amount of physical activity does not eliminate the increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) associated with frequent TV viewing, according to research published in the Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis.
In a study of more than 15,000 Americans, people who reported watching TV “very often” had nearly twice the risk of VTE as people who said they “never or seldom” watched TV.
People who watched TV very often had an increased VTE risk even when researchers adjusted for physical activity levels, smoking status, body mass index, and other factors.
“These results suggest that even individuals who regularly engage in physical activity should not ignore the potential harms of prolonged sedentary behaviors such as TV viewing,” said study author Yasuhiko Kubota, of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.
“Avoiding frequent TV viewing, increasing physical activity, and controlling body weight might be beneficial to prevent VTE.”
Kubota and his colleagues came to these conclusions after analyzing data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, an ongoing, population-based, prospective study conducted in the US.
The researchers evaluated 15,158 Americans who were 45 to 64 years of age when ARIC started in 1987.
Study subjects were initially asked about their health status, whether they exercised or smoked, and whether they were overweight or not. Over the years, ARIC team members have been in regular contact with subjects to ask about any hospital treatment they might have received.
When subjects were asked about their TV viewing habits, most said they watched TV “sometimes” (n=7094). Fewer subjects said they watched TV “often” (n=4023), “never or seldom” (n=2815), and “very often” (n=1226).
Results
Via hospital records and imaging tests, Kubota and his colleagues identified 691 cases of VTE in the study cohort.
In assessing the risk of VTE, the researchers compared the “never or seldom” TV viewing group to the other viewing groups.
In a model adjusted for age, sex, and race, “sometimes” viewers had a hazard ratio (HR) of VTE of 1.17, the “often” group had an HR of 1.31, and the “very often” group had an HR of 1.88.
In a second model, the researchers adjusted for the aforementioned factors as well as smoking status, leisure-time physical activity, eGFR, and prevalent cardiovascular disease.
In this model, “sometimes” viewers had an HR of VTE of 1.16, the “often” group had an HR of 1.26, and the “very often” group had an HR of 1.71.
In a third model, Kubota and his colleagues adjusted for all of the aforementioned factors as well as body mass index.
In this model, “sometimes” viewers had an HR of VTE of 1.13, the “often” group had an HR of 1.20, and the “very often” group had an HR of 1.53.
The researchers noted that subjects who met the American Heart Association’s recommended level of physical activity but watched TV “very often” had an HR of VTE of 1.80. Subjects with a poor physical activity level who watched TV “very often” had an HR of 2.07.
Kubota and his colleagues also found that obese subjects had an increased risk of VTE, and TV viewing appeared to add to that risk.
Obese subjects who watched TV “very often” had an HR of VTE of 3.70. For obese subjects who “never or seldom” watched TV, the HR was 1.90.