Stand Up To Technology

Modern technology leads to sedentary lifestyles resulting in increased obesity around the world.

Since 1994 inactivity in women has almost tripled and has become nearly 4 times more common in men. In 1994 19% of women were inactive and now 52% do not regularly participate in physical activity.

A new study recently found that the obesity rate in America has nothing to do with the amount of calories that we consume, but rather the lack of exercise that many people are now getting. While this might be true, an even bigger adversary of the American diet is technology. This study proves that technology affects the activity of a person which is to blame for the epidemic of obesity.

Researchers claim that there has been a drastic rise in obesity from 1998 to 2008.

Percentage Of Overweight and Obese People Per Country

Phones

The average British child gets their first phone at around age 12, but one in ten get theirs as early as 5 show recent studies!

Communication platforms like Facetime, Texting, and Skype keep people from having to physically visit friends and family every time they need to check in with them.

The average american between ages 15 and 45 checks their phone at least 17 times a day. People in Qatar, Malaysia, Thailand, and Mexico use them even more often if they are available to them. This takes time out of their lives that they could be using to exercise.

Cars and Driving

Driving takes very little physical effort and gets people short distances that they could easily walk or bike. Even just 15 minutes of walking a day can go a long way.

Countries That Drive Most (Kilometers/driver per year)

TV and Movies

TV is a major time consumer of people around the world. The average person spends about 2 months of the year watching tv. That means that in a 65 year life you would watch about 9 years of TV total.

Number of Hours Spent Watching TV Per Household Per Day

Entertainment is becoming more easily accessible. This makes it more appealing to people. They now have to go through less trouble or effort to get their entertainment.

Some people may say that technology has made our lives easier. However technology has made it easier in bad way because people have been exercising less and less because there is no need for it.

Sources

• "Couch Potatoes." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 2007. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.
• "Resources." World Obesity Federation. Web. 10 Apr. 2016
• "Adult Obesity Facts." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.
• "Technology Is Making Us Fat, Not A Few Extra Calories." Medical Daily. 2014. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.
• "How Technology and Inactive Lifestyles Are Changing Our Children." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 2013. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.