Obesity and Housework

If women only did more clearing, cleaning and sweeping, they might not be so obese. At least that’s what a new study from the University of South Carolina says. Even though female TV characters from a bygone era always made time for housework, the study, which tracked women from 1965 to 2010, says that as more women went to work outside the home they became more sedentary. Thus, more housework could help you stay fit.

The study found that in 1965, the average women spent nearly 26 hours per week on household chores. Today, it’s about half that.

The controversial study -- funded by a grant from Coca Cola -- was published this month in PLoS One and, as Gretchen Reynolds points out in the New York Times, it's actually a follow up to a 2011 study about workplace physical activity and obesity. In the 2011 report (which was not sponsored), researchers analyzed data from the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics and found that American workers have become far less active over the past 50 years. Instead of walking around a factory or lifting things on the job as was common in the 1960s, we now spend more time sitting at a desk, using the computer, and talking on the phone. That means that while our brains may be getting more exercise, our bodies aren't—the average American worker now burns 150 fewer calories at work each day than just a generation ago. 

 The release of this study caused Twitter to blow up with comments.  Were you one of them?  Do you think our obesity problem is due to lack of housework?