Researchers believe that the rollout of high-speed Internet access has had a significant impact on people’s physical activity and eating habits, thereby triggering an increase in obesity rates in countries.
Obesity remains a serious problem in many countries, increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. In Australia, for example, in 2023 67% of adults were overweight or obese, and in the United States, it is projected that by 2030, about 78% of such people will be obese.
Obesity is mainly associated with lifestyle changes, including poor diet and lack of physical activity — and a new study conducted by experts from Monash University, the University of Melbourne and RMIT University suggests that the rollout of high-speed internet could have led to such changes (data covers Australia only).
«Access to high-speed internet reduces the likelihood that people will meet the minimum physical activity recommendations of the World Health Organization», — says Dr. Klaus Ackermann from the Department of Econometrics and Business Statistics at Monash University.
The researchers analyzed 14 waves of longitudinal
Longitudinal method, longitudinal study — a research method where participants are studied over a long period of time (up to several years). household surveys in Australia, as well as data on the deployment and implementation of the country’s national broadband Internet network (NBN) — since 2012, the project has gradually modernized analog telephone Internet systems, which has provided a significant increase in Internet connection speeds.
As a result, the researchers noticed an increase in the overall body mass index (BMI) of the population by 1.57 kg/m² with an increase in NBN penetration by 6.6% (BMI is an internationally recognized standard measure of body weight in relation to height; adults with a BMI of 25-29.9 are considered overweight, while a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese).
«Sedentary behavior caused by the need to stay connected to the Internet for longer periods of time leads to a lower metabolic rate and contributes to obesity,» says Ackermann. «This problem is exacerbated by the need for frequent snacks while working on the computer, which increases the level of daily calorie intake. In addition, the Internet provides easy and quick access to many goods and services, and thus reduces the need to deal with these matters physically. The same goes for meeting with family or friends».
At the same time, the link between obesity and Internet use is not limited to Australia: for example, this year’s study found a positive correlation between BMI and Internet use among first-year students in Turkey; and in 2019, a review of studies from various countries, including the United States, found that active Internet users were 47% more likely to become overweight or obese
The study was published in the journal Economics & Human Biology.
Source: New Atlas, Monash University
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