Obesity among children in North America is said to be at near-epidemic proportions. Some experts blame television for the problem, citing the statistic that children watch an average of 26 hours per week. During this time, children are not engaged in any physical activity, which results in weight gains. However, the problem may be compounded by a reduction in metabolic rate. In an experiment to address this issue (the study results were published in the February 1993 issue of the medical journal Pediatrics), scientists from Memphis State University and the University of Tennessee at Memphis took a random sample of 223 children aged 8 to 12; 41 of them were obese.

Each child’s metabolic rate (the amount of calories burned per hour) was measured while at rest and also measured while the child watched a television program (The Wonder Years). The differences between the two rates were recorded; column 1 contains the numbers representing the decrease in metabolic rate, and column 2 codes the children as 1 = obese and 2 = nonobese.

a. Do these data allow us to conclude that there is a decrease in metabolism when children watch television?

b. Can we conclude that the decrease in metabolism while watching television is greater among obese children?