Too much TV negatively impacts seniors' well-being

For the past 50-plus years, parents have been trying to coax their children away from the TV to do something more productive with their time. Now, it's time to return the favor. A study by the Stein Institute for Research on Aging and Rady School of Management at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine shows that the elderly spend more time watching TV than younger adults and teenagers but enjoy it less.

"What the study underscored is that alternatives to television as entertainment are needed, especially in older adults," says Colin Depp, PhD, first author of the study and assistant professor of psychiatry with Stein Institute for Research on Aging. Adults over age 65 watch three times as much TV than younger adults, according to the study's analysis of 2006 survey data of more than 3,000 Americans ages 15 to 98.

Janice McInstosh, director of the Carson City Senior Citizens Center, said that from her experience, the study makes sense.

"It makes sense that it can make people sad or angry or happy," she said.

"That's why the Meals on Wheels program is so important. For some people, that's the only interaction they get all day. It's the highlight of their day. So whatever they watch on TV could have a profound effect on how they feel," she said.

Dawn Beck, in charge of activities at the senior center, said she sees seniors who come to the center regularly.

"There are quite a few people who come here to do puzzles, play bingo or exercise. The ones I see are quite active," she said.

Other factors considered in the study, funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, were enjoyment and stress relief. While TV use relieved stress in younger adults, for older adults, it correlated to lower life satisfaction.

"Our study indicates that older adults report lower levels of positive emotion while watching TV when compared to other activities - which is not the case in younger adults," says co-author Dilip Jeste, M.D., professor of psychiatry and neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and director of the Stein Institute for Research on Aging. Other recent studies have linked TV use to lower life satisfaction in addition to greater risk for obesity and Type2 diabetes, less frequent engagement in social and physical interaction and increased risk for dementia.

When considering the amount of time Americans over age 65 spend watching TV, it is surprising that they don't find the activity more enjoyable. Data from other studies indicate that they spend about 25 percent of their day watching TV. The average American household spends 4.5 hours watching TV per day.

"It is reasonable to expect that older adults may enjoy TV more than younger ones do, because they have fewer demands on their time," Jeste says. "Prior studies also suggest they may use TV to regulate negative emotions." Now that this study shows that negative emotions actually increase, Jeste and his fellow researchers desire an increase in public awareness of alternatives to TV watching and reduction of barriers to those activities that are more socially and physically engaging.