The faster your internet, the more likely you are to be obese, a study has found

Did you know that your high-speed internet might be making you a bit, well… sluggish? According to new research, faster internet connections could actually be helping to drive up obesity rates in Australia.

The study examined years of data from the Household, Income, and Labor Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, tracking the expansion of high-speed internet across the country from 2006 to 2019. The result? The faster the internet, the more likely people are to gain weight.

Fast internet changing daily habits

According to Dr. Klaus Ackermann from Monash Business School, the connection between fast internet and weight gain has to do with “sedentary behavior.” He explains, “Access to high-speed internet connection decreases the likelihood of individuals meeting the minimum physical activity recommendation proposed by the WHO. That is, individuals become more inactive and exhibit more sedentary behaviour.”

Basically, with high-speed internet, we’re more likely to spend hours watching streaming shows or playing online games. And, as Dr. Ackermann says, “Sedentary behavior is induced by the need to stay connected online for longer hours, which leads to lower metabolic rates and contributes to obesity.” And that’s not all — the more we’re sitting around, the more we’re likely to snack. “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,” Ackermann points out.

A growing (and costly) problem

Beyond individual health, Australia’s obesity crisis is also creating a big economic issue. Obesity cost the country $11.8 billion in 2018, and that number is projected to reach an astonishing $87.7 billion by 2032.

According to the study, a mere 1% increase in National Broadband Network adoption is linked with a jump in Body Mass Index (BMI) of 1.57 kg/m² and a 6.6% increase in the prevalence of obesity. In simple terms, fast internet is allowing people to live slower lives—lives that involve a lot more sitting and a lot less moving.

Breaking the cycle

So, what’s the solution? Dr. Ackermann suggests that we might need public health campaigns to remind people of the risks that come with endless screen time. “One avenue of suggestion could be creating awareness of the potential increase in sedentary behavior with internet access; this could motivate people to take breaks between screen time to reduce sedentary behavior and engage in physical activity to promote a healthier lifestyle,” he says.

He adds that encouraging people to take breaks and do more physical activities might be key. “Such public health campaigns could encourage the need to physically engage in errands, if possible, as opposed to strictly accessing goods and services online,” Ackermann advises.

High-speed internet may be part of modern life, but maybe it’s worth taking a step back now and then to get off the couch. As Dr. Ackermann puts it, “Public health campaigns that encourage short but vigorous physical activity… could be useful for individuals with busy lifestyles who may only have limited time.”

The findings of this research have been published in Economics & Human Biology.