Relationship of time spent in front of the TV with energy expenditure in adolescents with different percents of body fat

Resumen

Physical inactivity is considered an independent risk factor for chronic diseases, and time spent in front of the TV is one of the most widespread sedentary activities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between time spent in front of the TV and energy expenditure among adolescents with different percents of body fat (%BF). The study included 40 White male adolescents aged 14 to 16 years, of high socioeconomic status (classes A and B). Anthropometric (body mass, stature, skin folds) and level of physical activity (Tritac accelerometer TR3) data were obtained. The adolescents were divided by %BF: below of 11% or above of 20%.The results demonstrated that adolescents with %BF above the ideal range spent more time in front of the TV and had lower energy expenditure than adolescents with %BF below the ideal range (p < 0.05). A negative association was observed between time in front of the TV and energy expenditure (on weekdays: r = - 0.426; on weekends: r = - 0.579) and there was a positive correlation with body fat (on weekdays: r = 0.518; on weekends: r = 0.514) (p < 0.05). According to the evidence, it was concluded that the greater the amount of time spent in front of the TV, the greater the prevalence of inactivity and the greater the amount of body fat.