Those of you who regularly listen to “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me — The NPR News Quiz” know how they love to cite surveys in their questions. Here are a few surveys I noted during lunchtime news reading that are worthy of “Wait Wait”:
- From the “Your TV may kill you” Department: According to an Australian study, each hour a day spent in front of television is linked with an 18% greater risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and an 11% greater risk of all causes of death. They don’t say anything about sitting in front of a computer, so that must be healthier. The study, released Monday in Circulation, a journal of the American Heart Assn., looked at health data among 8,800 men and women older than 25 who were part of the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study. Participants recorded their television viewing hours for a week, and researchers separated the results by amount of viewing: those who watched less than two hours of TV a day, those who watched two to four hours a day, and those who watched more than four hours a day.
- From the “Your Booty may save you” Department: According to a British study, extra padding in the hips, buttocks and thighs is healthy and protects against heart and metabolic problems. A study published in this month’s International Journal of Obesity says fat in the hips mops up harmful fatty acids and contains an anti-inflammatory agent that stops arteries from clogging. More details linked from here.
- From the “Tattoos Make You Bad” Department: According to a study conducted by a Texas University, there is a correlation between multiple tattoos or piercings and “deviant behavior,” that is, more promiscuity, more drug use, more binge drinking, more arrests and more cheating on academics than their peers. The study, by the “Body Art Team” at Texas Tech, surveyed 1,753 students at four colleges and found a correlation between multiple tattoos or piercings and “deviant behavior.” The study will be printed in The Social Science Journal in March and was first reported in Miller-McCune magazine, which tracks academic research. The concern is four-or-more tattoos or piercings; there were no measurable differences for single tattoos or belly-button rings.
