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Television Viewing and Time Spent Sedentary in Relation to Cancer Risk

Susan Weiss Behrend

sedentary lifestyle, cancer risk, shared decision making, cancer screening
ONF 2014, 41(6), 695-696. DOI: 10.1188/14.ONF.695-696

An increase in sedentary lifestyle has been identified as a potential risk factor for the development of chronic disease. This article identified the impact of prolonged TV watching along with other sedentary behaviors (e.g., computer use, less physically demanding occupations, video viewing, reading, sitting during long commutes, social inactivity) as possible cancer risk factors. This article quantitatively summarized the correlation between sedentary lives and cancer risk. TV watching has been the most commonly studied sedentary behavior associated with ingestion of unhealthy foods, leading to the potential to smoke and gain weight. Smoking and obesity are linked to an increased risk of cancer.

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    References

    Schmid, D., & Leitzmann, M. F. (2014). Television viewing and time spent sedentary in relation to cancer risk: A meta-analysis. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 106, 1-19. doi:10.1093/jnci/dju098
    Hoffman, R. M., Elmore, J. G., Fairfield, K. M., Gerstein, B. S., Levin, C. A., & Pignone, M. P. (2014). Lack of shared decision making in cancer screening discussions: Results from a national survey. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 47, 251-259. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2014.04.011