Watching tv, reading newspapers, surfing the net…as all these activities are done seated, they do not exactly help much with exercise. In addition, they have also been associated to obesity. And this is where the image of a couch potato comes, munching crisps and chocolate in front of a screen.
But what would happen if someone tried to approach mass media and their effects on health as sources of information not only as indicators of physical inactivity?
This is what Marialaura Bonaccio and colleagues did in a study published at the International Journal of Public Health. In this study, they assessed mass media exposure and dietary habits in an Italian Cohort (Moli Sani) and found that exposure to mass media information is significantly assosciated with greater adherence to Mediterranean diet!
What do you think about this study? What could such results mean for Public Health policies?
