A new study has found a link between the rollout of high-speed internet services and a rise in obesity rates in the country. The researchers who conducted the study attribute the increase to the effect of high-speed internet access on physical activity and eating habits.
Obesity remains a significant public health concern worldwide, linked with an increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes and death. In the US, for example, it’s estimated that by 2030, 78% of adults will be overweight or obese. Australian data shows that two in three (66%) adults were overweight or obese in 2022.
The rise of obesity stems largely from changeable lifestyle, health and environmental factors, including poor eating and sedentary behavior. Now, a new study by researchers from Monash University, the University of Melbourne and RMIT University has found a link between the rise in obesity seen in Australia and the rollout of high-speed internet services across the country.
“Access to high-speed internet connection decreases the likelihood of individuals meeting the minimum physical activity recommendation proposed by the WHO [World Health Organization],” said the study’s corresponding author, Dr Klaus Ackermann from Monash University Business School’s Department of Econometrics and Business Statistics and SoDa Labs. “That is, individuals become more inactive and exhibit more sedentary behavior.”
The researchers reached their conclusion after analyzing 14 waves of longitudinal data from the Household, Income and Labor Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey and a dataset on the rollout and adoption of the National Broadband Network (NBN) in zip codes across Australia. Since 2012, the NBN infrastructure project has been gradually upgrading existing analogue telephone internet systems, which has provided significant improvements to internet connection speeds.
They found that a 1% increase in NBN adoption rate was associated with an increase in the prevalence of obesity. Specifically, they observed an overall increase in body mass index (BMI) of 1.57 kg/m2 and a 6.6% increase in prevalence. BMI is an internationally recognized standard measure of body weight relative to height. Adults with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 are considered overweight but not obese; a BMI of 30 and over is considered obese. BMI is converted from metric to US customary units using this calculation: weight (pounds) / [height (inches)]2 x 703.
The researchers say that access to faster internet services contributed to the rise in the number of Australians with obesity because of its effect on physical activity and eating habits.
“Sedentary behavior is induced by the need to stay connected online for longer hours, which leads to lower metabolic rate and contributes to obesity,” said Ackermann. “This problem is elevated by the need to frequently consume snacks during computer usage, which increases the daily intake of calories that contribute to obesity.
“Further, internet usage enables ease of access to various goods and services, and therefore reduces the need to perform errands physically. The convenience of electronic communications further reduces the need to meet up with family and friends in person, which further reduces potential opportunities to engage in physical activities.”
Access to high-speed internet has also contributed to a rise in binge-watching online content and online gaming.
The relationship between obesity and internet usage isn’t confined to Australia. A 2024 study of first-year university students in Türkiye found a positive correlation between BMI and problematic internet usage. In 2019, a review of existing studies from different countries, including the US, found “a significant, positive association between the highest internet use, compared to the lowest, and odds of overweight and obesity, such that internet users had 47% greater odds of being overweight or obese.”
The researchers hope that the present study’s findings will lead to greater awareness of this association and policies to promote physical activity.
“Given that access to high-speed internet increases the prevalence of obesity through sedentary behavior, our findings suggest that policies to promote awareness of the negative implications of sedentary behavior are important,” they said.
The study was published in the journal Economics & Human Biology.
Source: Monash University