Lounging around on my bed, waiting to watch Project Runway, I got to thinking about sitting. Yes, sitting. Is my inactivity contributing to my Freshman 15 weight gain? I found a New York Times article from 2011 that addresses this issue. And, while the information was scientifically solid, I noticed that some important facts were missing.
The Article
www.freerepublic.com
The majority of the piece focuses on James Levine, a scientist working in “inactivity studies.” Nutrition studies are difficult to conduct as most are retrospective, depending on the participants’ memory of their food intake and exercise. Levine removed this issue by tracking every move, every calorie, and every medical condition of his participants. His studies revealed that extensive sitting increases everyone’s chance of mortality, be they tall or short, skinny or fat.
The Issues
www.internetmonk.com
The New York Times failed to address some important aspects of Levine’s study. Firstly, who participated in the study? Nutrition is an incredibly fickle field, what works for one person may not work for another. Did Levine’s study accurately represent America? Were all ages and races represented? Second, what are the stats? The article stats that sitting is dangerous, but I don’t see a single data point. If sitting for extended periods of time increases mortality risk by 1%, it might be worth it. However, if it increases mortality risk by 15%, there is cause for concern.
To the Journalists
This seems to be a common problem in today’s news environment, journalists are omitting the facts in favor of shock value. Just look at the article’s title, “Is Sitting a Lethal Activity?” This draws in readers, but it doesn’t establish any scientific prowess. Readers need to start asking for more quality rather than quantity.
Hey Whitney! I read through this article and picked up on something a little discouraging. The study referenced depended on retrospective analysis, meaning participants had to self-report. This type of information can be dangerously unreliable, as our memories often fail us. However, this article did concur with the New York Times one, both stated that physical fitness does little to combat the effects of sitting. I agree, this information is a little scary for us college students. Hopefully all that walking up and down Shortlidge helps!
This article talks about how sitting for more than three hours a day can take two years off your lifetime, which if that’s true I’m afraid for what that means for all of us students, considering we sit for at least that long in classes everyday. It also says there isn’t much difference in the effects for those of us who also workout regularly. http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/science-scope/study-shows-sitting-too-much-cuts-years-off-your-life/