Electronic Monitor for Monitoring TV Viewing Time

Description and Significance

Mohammad Ali Alahmadi

Exercise Physiology Department, Collage of Sport Science and Physical Activity

King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Keywords: Sedentary Behaviour, TV Viewing, Obesity, Physical Inactivity, Objective Monitor Behaviour.

Abstract: Sedentary behaviour is related to adverse cardiometabolic risk profiles and premature mortality. Television

(TV) viewing time is the most predominant sedentary behaviour. There are also adverse associations

between TV viewing time and a number of cardiovascular risk factors such as the metabolic syndrome,

obesity, and abnormal glucose metabolism. Few measurement tools, such as direct observation and

videotaping, have been utilized to objectively monitor TV watching. Unfortunately, these measurements

have shortcomings as they invade the personal privacy and are impractical in large-scale research studies.

Therefore, there is a need for alternative objective measures. Therefore, the main aim of this paper is to

design an electronic device to objectively monitor TV viewing. This device uses Radio-frequency

identification (RFID) technology that transfers data using tracking tag that is attached to a child's wrist like

a watch. This data will be collected by the RFID Reader which is connected to a main electronic board that

is designed to measure TV viewing time in minutes. The current research is expected to produce a novel

wireless electronic tool that can monitor TV viewing without intrusion to the person privacy and can be

widely used as an objective method of assessing TV viewing time.

1 INTRODUCTION

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) is

increasing dramatically throughout the world.

Globally, the number of people who were diagnosed

with T2D was estimated at 110 million in 2002, and

this number is estimated to reach 220 million in

2010 (Zimmet, 2000) and 300 million in 2025 (King

et al., 1998). In Australia, 1 in 4 people over the age

of 25 years has T2D or impaired glucose metabolism

(Dunstan et al., 2001). Since 1981, the number of

cases of T2D in Australia has increased threefold,

and this number was projected to reach 1.23 million

by 2010 (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare,

2005). Between 2002 and 2003, diabetes and its

complications were the leading causes of death for

more than 20,000 Australians aged 25 years and

over (Dixon and Webbie, 2005).

Obesity, a major risk factor in the development

of T2D and increased morbidity and mortality, has

also increased rapidly in recent decades (Steinberger

and Daniels, 2003, Haslam and James, 2005). In

Australia, the prevalence of obesity has more than

doubled in the past 20 years and it has been

estimated that over seven million (60%) Australian

adults aged 25 years and over are overweight, and

over two million (21%) obese (Cameron et al.,

2003). Further to this, the economic cost of obesity

is very high; for example, in Australia, the total

financial cost of obesity in 2005 was estimated at

$AU21 billion (Access Economics, 2006).

It is well known that reduced physical activity is

one of the leading causes of the increased prevalence

of obesity among children and adults (Blair, 1993;

Hill and Peters 1998). In addition to physical

inactivity, sedentary behaviour is believed to be a

separate entity that could play a role in the aetiology

of T2D. Recently, a number of researches have

demonstrated that physical activity and sedentary

behaviors are two independents entities. Sedentary

behaviour is shown to be related to adverse

cardiometabolic risk profiles and premature

mortality (Lollgen et al., 2009).

Television (TV) viewing is the most predominant

sedentary behaviour and has been used as a measure

of sedentary behaviour. There is also an

accumulating evidence to suggest that there are

adverse associations between TV viewing time and a

Ali Alahmadi M..

Electronic Monitor for Monitoring TV Viewing Time - Description and Signiﬁcance.

DOI: 10.5220/0004636600910094

In Proceedings of the International Congress on Sports Science Research and Technology Support (icSPORTS-2013), pages 91-94

ISBN: 978-989-8565-79-2

 2013 SCITEPRESS (Science and Technology Publications, Lda.)

number of cardiovascular risk factors such as the

metabolic syndrome and obesity, abnormal glucose

metabolism, and T2D (Hu et al. 2003; Dunstan et al.

2005; Dunstan et al. 2007; Wijndaele et al., 2009).

Moreover, in cross-sectional studies for both adults

and children, TV viewing time was found to be the

predominant leisure-time sedentary behaviour that

may have negative effects on overweight and obesity

(Owen et al., 2000). In a recent cross-sectional

study, TV viewing time was also associated with

cardio-metabolic biomarkers, but not with computer

use and reading time in an Asian population (Nang

et al., 2013).

It is recommended that children younger than 2

years of age should not spend any time watching TV

and for children aged between 2 to 5 years TV

viewing time should be limited to less than one hour

per day (Commonwealth Department of Health and

Aged Care, 2010). In general, children should not

spend more than 2 hours a day watching TV. It is

also recommended that extended periods of

inactivity through participation in sedentary

activities such TV watching should be avoided by

both children and youth. In a study conducted in

Australian young adults, it was found that TV

viewing more than 3 hours per day was associated

with abdominal obesity, and this association was

partly explained by the mounts of food and beverage

consumption during TV viewing time (Cleland et al.,

2008). This finding supports the possible

explanation for the associations of sedentary

behaviors with unhealthy dietary habits. Children

and adolescents tend to consume more drinks and

foods while watching TV. When sedentary

behaviors and consumption of unhealthy diets are

combined, this may contribute to the aetiology of

obesity in children and adolescents independent of

reduced physical activity.

In longitudinal study, physical activity and

weekly TV viewing were estimated by a self-report

in a cohort of 6369 girls and 4487 boys aged

between10 to15 years (Taveras et al., 2007). In this

study, Taveras et al. (2007) have found no

substantial relationships between year- to- year

changes in TV viewing and changes in leisure time

moderate to vigorous physical activity, suggesting

that TV viewing and leisure-time physical activity

are separate constructs.

TV viewing is usually assessed by using a

questionnaire that has a single question about daily

or weekly TV viewing. It is known that self-reported

measures suffer from some amount of reporting

error. Therefore, measurement error in TV viewing

time may lead to weaken the observed findings from

previous studies.

Few studies used an objective measurement to

monitor TV watching, such as direct observation and

videotaping (Anderson et al., 1985; McKenzie et al.

1992; Ferguson et al., 2006). Unfortunately, these

later measurements of TV viewing time have

shortcomings since they are invasive to the person’s

privacy and they may change individual behaviours.

They are also considered as impractical when used

in large-scale research studies. Therefore, there is a

need for alternative objective measures to monitor

TV viewing time. To the best of our knowledge, no

studies have assessed TV viewing with an objective

measure such as an electronic device. Therefore, the

main aim of this paper is to describe the design of an

electronic device intended to objectively monitor TV

viewing time.

2 DESCRIPTION

OF THE ELECTRONICS

The electronic TV monitor is comprised of three

elements: a tracking tag (a wrist watch), a reader,

and main electronic board. This electronic TV

monitor uses Radio-frequency identification (RFID)

technology. RFID is a wireless and non-contact

radio-frequency that transfers data automatically

using identifying and tracking tag (i.e. RIFD tag)

that is placed to a child's wrist like a watch. The

RFID Reader is connected to a main electronic

board which is designed to measure the TV viewing

time in minutes when the RFID tag is detected by

the RFID Reader and the TV is switched on. The

main electronic board is composed with 24V

Battery, ATmega8 microcontroller, Voltage

Regulator, RS232 adapter, and RFID Reader to

receive data from the RFID tag (Picture 1).

3 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TV

MONITORING DEVICE

This electronic device is considered a novel TV

monitor that is able to capture the time that a person

is spending in front of TV (or similar device). Such

technologies will enable us to objectively monitor

the real time spent in a very common pastime

behaviours. For the first time, the direct monitoring

of person’s sedentary behaviours that are related to

TV viewing will be achieved with intruding personal

privacy and without much influencing such

behaviours by the measurement itself.

icSPORTS2013-InternationalCongressonSportsScienceResearchandTechnologySupport

TV monitoring will also be relatively

inexpensive and can store information over a long

period of days or weeks. Consequently, the device is

expected to fill a gap in assessing one of the most

predominate sedentary behaviour, TV viewing. The

device is now designed with large memory storage

so that several days of TV viewing can be measured

objectively. Future research is needed to test

reliability and validity of this electronic device.

Picture 1: Description of the electronic TV monitor.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The author extends his appreciation to the Deanship

of Scientific Research at King Saud University for

funding this work through the Research Project no

NFG2-23-33. Appreciation is also extended to Omar

Alhusseini from King Abdulaziz City for Science

and Technology for designing and integrating the

electronic device.

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