Religion and Screen Hours in a US National Sample

Abstract

Time spent sitting, especially TV viewing, has been found to be associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality independent of activity level. No studies were found of religious behavior and sitting, TV viewing or total screen time. To test the hypothesis that sitting screen hours are associated with frequency of attendance at religious services, data from a US national health survey were analyzed. In this large sample (n = 3,029), adults 40 years and over who reported attending religious services weekly or more also reported significantly less daily TV viewing than others. This amounted to about 20 fewer minutes TV viewing per day. No association was seen for time using a computer.

Keywords: religion, sedentary lifestyle, health behavior, psychology

JEL Classification: I1, I12, J14, N30