The Depiction of Exercise on Prime-Time Television

Abstract

Overweight and obesity are associated with the amount of time one spends watching television. Specifically, the more television one watches, the more likely it is that he or she will he overweight and physically inactive. The purpose of this study was to examine the depiction of exercise on prime-time television. Two weeks of prime-time television (8:00-11:00 p.m.) programming on the four major networks were analyzed during winter 1997. Frequency of exercise scenes, demographic characteristics of exercisers, types and locations of exercise, and length of exercise scenes were investigated. Results showed that an average of 0.39 scenes of exercise were displayed each hour. Exercise scenes were most frequently displayed on Fridays and Saturdays in dramas and sitcoms. Individuals most commonly depicted as exercisers were males, whites, and adults. Sports and games were the most common type of exercise depicted whereas gyms and clubs were the most common exercise locations. Virtually all scenes lasted less than 1 minute in length. Implications of these findings are discussed as they relate to possible influences of the media on youth's perceptions of exercise. Recommendations for promoting a positive message of exercise to youth via television are offered.