Television viewing and long-term weight maintenance: results from the National Weight Control Registry

Objective: To examine the role of television (TV) viewing in long‐term maintenance of weight loss. Research Methods and Procedures: All subjects (N = 1422) were enrolled in the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR), a national sample of adults who have maintained a minimum weight loss of 13.6 kg for at least 1 year. Participants self‐reported the average number of hours of weekly TV viewing at entry into the NWCR and at a 1‐year follow‐up. Cross‐sectional and prospective analyses were performed to determine the frequency of TV viewing and the extent to which TV viewing was independently associated with weight regain over the 1‐year of follow‐up. Results: A relatively high proportion (62.3%) of participants reported watching 10 or fewer hours of TV per week on entry in the NWCR. More than one third of the sample (36.1%) reported watching <5 h/wk, whereas only 12.4% watched ≥21 h/wk, which contrasts markedly from the national average of 28 hours of TV viewing per week reported by American adults. Both baseline TV viewing (p ≤ 0.02) and increases in TV viewing (p ≤ 0.001) over the follow‐up were significant predictors of 1‐year weight regain, independent of physical activity and dietary behaviors. Discussion: Individuals who are successful at maintaining weight loss over the long term are likely to spend a relatively minimal amount of time watching TV.