Does Reality Television Help Viewers Lose Weight?
Categories: Talking Points
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| Could this be you if you watch The Biggest Loser? |
In a soon-to-be published Thomson Reuters poll of 3,000 Americans, 57 percent of people say weight-loss shows have influenced what they eat. And 49 percent say they believe the television programs will have a positive influence on the obesity epidemic.Heartening news or fantasy thinking? After all, conservatives swear that kids who watch Gossip Girl will grow up to be sluts, and liberals believe that impressionable young adults who play too much Mortal Kombat will grow up to play with automatic weapons and beat their children.
It's the same question that fans and detractors of food television have: Will watching Giada and Bobby will make us better cooks, or is it a substitute for cooking? The only proof is what's on the plate.
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