Study finds teens in the United States who view television are more prone to obesity than teens who play video games

Television is the type of media that has both a greater effect on young adolescents (25.5%) and a positive relationship with the participants’ Body Mass Index (BMI). This means the more a teen viewed television, in comparison to playing video games or spending time on the computer, the more likely the teen’s BMI would increase (i.e. the teen will be more prone to obesity). In 2013 a research study was conducted on 91 students in the New England area of the United States by a group of doctors and researchers. The group created a study to find out which of 3 main types of media (i.e. television, video games, and the computer) caught the greatest percentage of attentiveness from young adolescents. And whether there was a linkage between the media considered most attention-getting and an increase in the body mass indexes (BMI) of young adolescents. Participants in the study were 13-15 years old. They had to be measured by height and weight, complete a diary that reported the amount of time spent on each type of media, and the participants had to carry a handheld device that would question their activities. However in the end participants were compensated with money!