No one has studied obesity's effect on physical activity though researchers have studied physical activity and its relation to obesity for decades.
So BYU exercise science professor Larry Tucker decided to look at the other side of the equation to determine if obesity leads to less activity. The findings, no surprise, confirmed what everyone has assumed for years.
Malnutrition to Obesity - The Big Leap
Obesity is the root cause of problems like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, arthritis and gall bladder disease. A serious look at our strategies is needed to tackle this fast growing epidemic.
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"Most people talk about it as if it's a cycle," senior-author Tucker said.
"Half of the cycle has been studied almost without limit. This is the first study of its kind, in many ways, looking at obesity leading to decreases in physical activity over time," he said.
![Obesity]( "Obesity")
Obesity is a condition where there is excess accumulation of body fat which poses a risk to the health of the individual. It can affect children and adults.
To study this reciprocal effect objectively, the researchers attached an accelerometer to more than 250 participants.
Accelerometers measure actual movement and intensity of activity. Previous studies have relied on less-dependable self-reported data.
"Roughly 35 percent of the population reports that they're regularly active," Tucker said.
"When you actually put an accelerometer on adults and follow them for many days, only about 5 to 7 percent are actually regularly active. We used an objective measure so we could determine genuine movement, not just wishful thinking," he said
The 254 female participants - 124 of which were considered obese - were instructed to wear the accelerometer for seven consecutive days at the beginning of the study, and then again for an additional week 20 months later, at the end of the study.
On average, physical activity in obese participants dropped by 8 percent over the course of 20 months.
This is equivalent to decreasing moderate to vigorous physical activity by 28 minutes per week.
In contrast, non-obese women demonstrated essentially no change in the amount of physical activity they were participating in weekly.
The study is published online in the journal Obesity.
Source: ANI
Obesity
Obesity is a condition where there is excess accumulation of body fat which poses a risk to the health of the individual. It can affect children and adults.
Advertisement
To study this reciprocal effect objectively, the researchers attached an accelerometer to more than 250 participants.
Accelerometers measure actual movement and intensity of activity. Previous studies have relied on less-dependable self-reported data.
"Roughly 35 percent of the population reports that they're regularly active," Tucker said.
"When you actually put an accelerometer on adults and follow them for many days, only about 5 to 7 percent are actually regularly active. We used an objective measure so we could determine genuine movement, not just wishful thinking," he said
The 254 female participants - 124 of which were considered obese - were instructed to wear the accelerometer for seven consecutive days at the beginning of the study, and then again for an additional week 20 months later, at the end of the study.
On average, physical activity in obese participants dropped by 8 percent over the course of 20 months.
This is equivalent to decreasing moderate to vigorous physical activity by 28 minutes per week.
In contrast, non-obese women demonstrated essentially no change in the amount of physical activity they were participating in weekly.
The study is published online in the journal Obesity.
Source: ANI
Mantra to Prevent Childhood Obesity – Vigorous Physical Activity
Being physically very active is the mantra to prevent pediatric obesity rather than concentrating efforts at restricting energy consumption.
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 Carbohydrates and Its Role in ObesityOver 1 billion people world-wide are obese thus affecting their health due to their nutrition and lifestyle. 3.9% of India's population is obese! Know more about obesity and its prevention. | Advertisement
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