Gender Differences in Sociodemographic Correlates with Excessive Television Viewing Time in Taiwanese Older Adults.

Dear Editor-in-Chief

Television viewing (TV) is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and all-cause mortality (1). In particular, excessive TV viewing was found to be more prevalent among older adults aged over 55 years than among younger age groups (2). Moreover, it has been emphasized the importance of identifying at-risk populations with excessive TV viewing time and its potential moderator in older adults (3, 4). For examining these associations, a telephone-based survey conducted from June to July 2013 in Taiwanese population aged 55 years or older. A total of 1031 participants had valid data for analysis. The dependent variable was TV viewing time using 2 hours/day as the cut-off point. The independent variables were sociodemographic attributes including gender, age, residential area, marital status, job status, education level, living status and physical activity. This study examined the socio-demographic correlates of excessive TV viewing time in older women and men.

The nearly half of the respondents (47.4%) viewed TV for more than 2 hours/day. Consistent with a previous Japanese study (4), Likelihood ratio test indicated there were significant interactions between gender and sociodemographic for TV viewing. Binary logistic regression models showed that older Taiwanese women who were overweight, obese, living in the northern area were more likely to view TV for more than 2 hours/day. No significant correlates of excessive TV viewing were observed in older Taiwanese men.

Our results indicated that gender is a potential moderator between sociodemographic factors and excessive TV viewing time. Older women who were being overweight, obese and living in the metropolitan areas tend to spend excessive time watching TV. Future studies should enhance the understanding of TV viewing time in older adults, thereby facilitating the development of more effective gender-specific strategies or interventions for reducing TV viewing time in specific populations.