PUT THE PHONE DOWN

Using a Smartphone for Five Hours a Day Could Increase Obesity Risk: Study

Students who used their phones for five hours or more a day had a 43 percent increased risk of obesity.

An analysis of 1,060 students at Simón Bolívar University showed that increased smartphone usage led to a decrease in physical activity. Students who used their phones for five hours or more a day had a 43 percent increased risk of obesity and were likely to have other lifestyle habits that increased the risk of cardiovascular disease, like a predilection for fast food. Seven hundred women and 360 men, with average ages 19 and 20, were analyzed. The study found that 26 percent of the subjects who were overweight and 4.6 percent of the subjects who were obese spent more than five hours a day on their smartphone. “The results of this study allow us to highlight one of the main causes of physical obesity, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease,” said Mantilla-Morron, lead author of the study.