In the current discussion of obesity, the running themes are energy dense and nutrient poor foods, marketing of those foods and sedentary entertainment. I am just beginning to wrap my mind around the sedentary entertainment or recreation aspect of causation. It is different from lack of physical activity or exercise and different from being sedentary. Public health advocates, experts, and scientists point out that the amount of exercise people get has not changed as drastically over the last 30 years as has the calorie content of food and the way we entertain ourselves.
The video games that get people up and out of their seats are new and rare, more often gaming - on line or otherwise, involves long bouts of sitting. As does social media and interactive websites.
Today I went to an arcade with my Mom. She goes there once a week or so and "gambles." I want to say that there are positives and negatives about this FunCenter and I am not writing to condemn it.
The majority of the people in the game room were over age 70. It is important that people stay engaged and social as they age, so this is a good thing. The arcade has a happy hour, with beer and wine, which is scary - but they have a two drink maximum, which is good. It seems to be a safe and welcoming place and most importantly - it is a tobacco free environment.
There are no clocks around. There are many games, but mostly they are like the one armed bandits or slot machines found in casinos. There was not one machine out of the 100 there that did not have a chair in front of it. They were all sit down machines and people spend hours there.
Thus, the sedentary entertainment issue includes the older adult population and would have the same deleterious effects.
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