Context
To systematically review and provide an informative synthesis of findings from longitudinal
studies published since 1996 reporting on relationships between self-reported sedentary
behavior and device-based measures of sedentary time with health-related outcomes
in adults.
Evidence acquisition
Studies published between 1996 and January 2011 were identified by examining existing
literature reviews and by systematic searches in Web of Science, MEDLINE, PubMed,
and PsycINFO. English-written articles were selected according to study design, targeted
behavior, and health outcome.
Evidence synthesis
Forty-eight articles met the inclusion criteria; of these, 46 incorporated self-reported
measures including total sitting time; TV viewing time only; TV viewing time and other
screen-time behaviors; and TV viewing time plus other sedentary behaviors. Findings
indicate a consistent relationship of self-reported sedentary behavior with mortality
and with weight gain from childhood to the adult years. However, findings were mixed
for associations with disease incidence, weight gain during adulthood, and cardiometabolic
risk. Of the three studies that used device-based measures of sedentary time, one
showed that markers of obesity predicted sedentary time, whereas inconclusive findings
have been observed for markers of insulin resistance.
Conclusions
There is a growing body of evidence that sedentary behavior may be a distinct risk
factor, independent of physical activity, for multiple adverse health outcomes in
adults. Prospective studies using device-based measures are required to provide a
clearer understanding of the impact of sedentary time on health outcomes.
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© 2011 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
