Computers and the Media

Both media use and obesity have increased dramatically during the past decades, causing concern that increased time spent using media products such as computers may be contributing to the growing obesity epidemic in the United States. Although only 8 percent of American households owned a personal computer in 1984, 62 percent owned at least one by 2003, and nearly 60 percent of adults and children aged 3–17 years used the internet, compared to 19 percent of children and 37 percent of adults in 1998. These trends have caused concern that media use may be diverting attention from more active pursuits and increasing exposure to advertisements for nutritionally inferior foods that are high in calories. However, widespread media and computer use may also represent a new channel for communicating health information to reduce obesity through the development of media products that encourage physical activity and healthful eating behaviors. Computer technology can be used to deliver health education, and to provide follow-up, feedback, and reinforcement to participants making lifestyle changes.

Included in the factors causing the epidemic of obesity in America are the roles of computers and the media. As people spend more time in sedentary activities and see advertising for high-fat, unhealthy foods, obesity rates increase.

Much of the focus on computer use and obesity has been among children and adolescents. About two-thirds of children aged 5–17 years use the computer for schoolwork, and about 90 percent use it to play games. In this population, increasing weight status has been associated with elevated use of computers and computer/video games. Increased time spent in sedentary activities, such as computer and video games, may decrease time spent in more active pursuits. Further, compared to adolescents of normal weight, overweight adolescents are more likely to become isolated from their peers and social networks, and they may consequently spend more time using electronic media. The National Longitudinal Study [Page 162]of Adolescent Health shows that greater participation in sports and school activities and less television viewing are associated with decreased isolation. This might lead one to assume that decreased use of computers, in favor of school activities and sports, might also show the same outcome, a decrease in isolation. However, other factors such as the accuracy of self-reported media use, differentiation between the types of media used (e.g., television vs. computers or sedentary vs. active video games), and the type of activities that media use actually displaces (sedentary vs. active) will be important considerations for future studies to better understand the associations between obesity and overall media use.

Increased media use also elevates exposure to food advertising. Although television is commonly associated with advertisements for foods that are high in saturated fat and/or sugar, such as ice cream, cookies, and soft drinks, the internet is quickly becoming another venue for advertising these items. An estimated 98 percent of children's websites permit advertising, and more than two-thirds of these sites rely on advertising as their primary source of revenue. Food manufacturers have turned to “advergaming,” which uses product websites to integrate specific food products and brands with promotions, sweepstakes, clubs, and online clips of television commercials for that brand. Thus, children may view commercials for a food without turning on their television, and the internet may also reinforce the messages seen in television advertisements by repeating these advertisements or linking a specific food with a television personality or cartoon character.

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