Association of television viewing time with central obesity status in rural Asian Indian Women: Santiniketan women study

Objectives The present community based cross-sectional study aimed to investigate anthropometric and body composition measures, and blood pressure characteristics by TV viewing times in rural women of Asian Indian Origin. Methods A total of 343 apparently healthy rural Asian Indian women living in and around Santiniketan, West Bengal, India and aged between 25 and 65 years took part in the study. Anthropometric measures namely body mass index (BMI), percentages of body fat (PBF), basal metabolic rate (BMR), and intra-abdominal visceral fat (IVF) were measured using an Omron body fat analyzer. Fat mass (FM), fat free mass (FFM), arm muscle area (AMA), arm fat area (AFA), and arm muscle circumference (AMC) were calculated using standard techniques. Each individual was also asked how many minutes/day they spend watching TV. Results Comparison of central obesity status (CNO = waist circumference < 80 cm and CO = waist circumference ≥ 80 cm) by TV viewing times (categories) revealed a significant difference [ 14.29] for central obesity status across the groups. Conclusion Increased leisure-time activity was associated with central obesity status and warrant early intervention to prevent increasing incidences of cardiovascular disease in this population. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 26:427–430, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.