Your TV Can Kill You! Part 4

Occasionally, I'm on time.  For instance, while I was reading up for yesterday's post, I stumbled, not unlike a blind squirrel finding a nut, upon a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine this past Monday linking TV viewing to mortality.

No surprise, right?  After all, as I'd noted previously in January and June, several studies have been published, all linking TV viewing to greater mortality.  An Australian study of 8,800 adults followed for >6yrs noted that each hour of TV viewing increased all-cause mortality by 11%.  A British study of 4,512 adults followed for 4yrs noted that all-cause mortality increased by 52% in those who reported watching TV >4hrs/d compared to those who watched <2hrs/d.  A meta-analysis of 3 studies involving 26,509 individuals followed for 202,353 person-years noted every 2hrs of TV viewing increased all-cause mortality by 13%, accounting for an additional 104 deaths from any cause per 100,000 persons per year.

Yet, it's clear that these studies (and more) haven't affected our collective behavior.  Perhaps, the statistics aren't compelling enough.  Certainly when my residents & medical students have a tough time grasping the concepts of number needed to treat, absolute vs relative risk reduction, clinical outcome vs physiologic markers, and observation studies vs randomized controlled trials, I can't expect the average citizen to make sense of it all (no insult intended).

So in this new analysis of the Australian data, the authors concluded that compared to those who watched no TV, those who spent a lifetime average of 6hrs/d watching TV would live 4.8yrs less.  More specifically, each hour of TV watching (after turning 25yo) reduces life expectancy by 22 minutes.  Holy smackeroo, flying mammal!  Is reality TV and all those game shows and night time dramas really worth it?