Can sitting be bad for your health? An overview of current research

Stuart Biddle

Professor of Physical Activity & Health

School of Sport, Exercise & Health Sciences

Loughborough University

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and woman

                  

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Establish links between behaviour& health

Measurebehaviour

InterventionsDeterminants or correlates

Translationinto

practice

Is sedentary behaviour

associated with health outcomes?

Can we help people sit less?What is sedentary

behaviour and how do we measure it?

What factors are associated with high or

low levels of sitting?

Can we ‘roll out’ behaviour

change solutions?

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Sedentary and active behaviours

SleepSedentarybehaviour

Lightmovement

ModeratePA

VigorousPA

Waking hours:Sitting, lying,

very low energy expenditure

‘Physical activity’ research

Energy ExpenditureLOW HIGH

A big slice of the pie!

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TV

Sitting at schoolor work

Computers Socialising

Motorisedtransport

Sedentarybehaviours

Homework

Screen time

Reading; Listening to music

Sedentary time per day: US adults by accelerometry

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9

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20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70+

Hrs/day

MaleFemale

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Matthews et al: Am J Epi, 2008

NHANES N=6,329

Weekly hours of TV viewing: UK and Scotland - MALES

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Physical activity statistics 2012, BHF

Weekly hours of TV viewing: UK and Scotland - FEMALES

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Physical activity statistics 2012, BHF

Trends: 1. Scotland > UK 2. Females > Males

Health outcomes of sedentary behaviour

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Is sedentary behaviour bad for you?

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Nov 21, 1953

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‘Sitting is the new smoking’

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Establish links between behaviour& health

Is sedentary behaviour

associated with health outcomes?

All-cause mortality CVD and mortality Obesity Metabolic health &

diabetes risk Mental health

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All-cause mortality: Risk ratios for sitting time for adults

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0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

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1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

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Risk of ACM

1 (Low) 2 3 4 5 (High)

Sitting

Inactive

Active

Canada Fitness Survey 1981-1993 (Katzmarzyk et al., MSSE, 2009)

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

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Wilmot, et al., (2012). Diabetologia, 55(11), 2895-2905

CV mortality: HR = 1.90

Wilmot, et al., (2012). Diabetologia, 55(11), 2895-2905

CV mortality: HR = 1.90 (1.71)

Adjusted for PA: HR = 1.40

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Is waist thickness inversely relatedto TV thickness??

TV v. body fat: plausible but complex

Sedentary behaviour and weight status in adults

there is a reasonable level of evidence to conclude that sedentary behaviour during childhood and adolescence is a strong predictor of obesity during adulthood

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Thorp, et al. (2011). Am J Prev Med, 41(2)

http://www.scivee.tv/node/32396

Is it sitting or eating, or both?

Clear associations between sedentary behaviour (usual screen time, and often TV viewing) and:

elements of a less healthy diet including – lower fruit and vegetable consumptionhigher consumption of energy-dense snacks,

drinks and fast foodshigher total energy intake

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Pearson & Biddle (2011) Am J Prev Med, 41(2)

Maybe we always knew this … ?

‘Writing and travel broaden your ass if not your mind, and I like to write standing up’ Ernest Hemingway

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Diabetes: HR=2.12Controlling for PA=2.47

Wilmot, et al., (2012). Diabetologia, 55(11), 2895-2905

Scottish Health Survey data (Hamer et al., Am J Prev Med 2010)

MCS: mental function

GHQ: psych distress

Can sitting be bad for your health? An overview of current research

Stuart Biddle

Email: s.j.h.biddle@lboro.ac.uk

Twitter: @stuart_biddle