The descriptive epidemiology of sitting in Chilean adults: Results from the National Health Survey 2009-2010

Associations of Sex and Household Area With Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior During Total and Partial COVID-19 Lockdowns in Chile: A Study in Adults Aged 18-44 Years

OBJECTIVES

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic led to various intensities of lockdowns, affecting lifestyles globally. This study investigates the impact of partial lockdown versus total lockdown on adult physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior.

METHODS

A cross-sectional online survey was conducted from April 2020 to October 2020, with 493 participants included in the analysis.

RESULTS

The analysis revealed no significant differences in total PA or total sitting time between partial lockdown and total lockdown scenarios. However, moderate physical activity (MPA) significantly decreased during total lockdowns, with more pronounced reductions among females than males. Notably, a positive correlation was found between household area and MPA, suggesting that larger living spaces may encourage more PA. A negative correlation was observed between sitting time and MPA during both types of lockdown.

CONCLUSIONS

Total lockdown conditions were associated with a significant decrease in MPA, highlighting sex disparities in PA responses. Living space size emerged as a crucial factor in maintaining PA levels during restricted conditions. This study emphasizes the need to consider environmental and demographic factors in public health strategies during prolonged periods of restricted movement.

Sedentary time in a nationally representative sample of adults in Japan: Prevalence and sociodemographic correlates

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Japanese adults spent on average 5.3 h each day sedentary.

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Compared to other countries, more adults were found to be highly sedentary in Japan.

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High sedentary time was associated with several sociodemographic characteristics.

Sedentary behaviour is associated with risks of detrimental health outcomes. It is crucial to understand how much time people spend in sedentary behaviour and what factors affect too much sedentary time for effective intervention. However, few studies examined the prevalence and the correlates of sedentary behaviour in Japan. Therefore, we assessed total sedentary time and its sociodemographic correlates using a nationally representative sample of adults in Japan. Cross-sectional data from Sports-Life Survey in 2016 and 2018 conducted by Sasagawa Sports Foundation was used. Participants’ sociodemographic factors and total sedentary time were collected by questionnaires. We classified those with <8 h/day of total sedentary time as “low-sedentary” and those with ≥8 h/day of total sedentary time as “high-sedentary”. A multiple logistic regression model was applied to calculate adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for the association of each variable with the “high-sedentary” group (≥8 h/day). In total, 5,346 participants were included in the analyses. On average, time spent in sedentary behaviour was 5.3 h/day (SD = 3.7) among Japanese adults. The percentage of “high-sedentary” was 25.3% (95% CI: 24.1–26.4) and higher body mass index (≥25 kg/m²), being unmarried, unemployment, and higher educational level (graduate school or university) were positively associated with being “high-sedentary”. In conclusion, higher sedentary time was among people with higher body mass index, being unmarried, unemployed, and higher education. Intervention for reducing sedentary time should be developed, targeting people with these characteristics.

Relationships between College Students' Sedentary Behavior, Sleep Quality, and Body Mass Index

PURPOSE

Sedentary behavior (SB), sleep efficiency (SE), sleep duration (SD), and body mass index (BMI) are crucial determinants of an individual's health. However, empirical evidence regarding associations between these factors in young adults living in China remains unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between accelerometer-measured SB, SE, SD, and BMI in Chinese college students.

METHODS

Two-hundred and twenty college students (115 females, Meanage = 20.29 years, SD = 2.37) were recruited from a south-central Chinese university. Participants' SB (daily % time spent in SB), SE (number of minutes of sleep duration/number of minutes in bed), and SD were assessed via wrist-worn ActiGraph GT9X Link accelerometers for one week. Body weight was measured using a digital weight scale, height was measured using a stadiometer, and BMI was calculated as weight (kg)/height (m2).

RESULTS

Participants' average time spent in SB was 76.52% (SD = 10.03), SE was 84.12% (SD = 4.79), and BMI was 20.67 kg/m2 (SD = 3.12), respectively. Regression analyses indicated that SB (β = -0.17, p = 0.01) and BMI (β = -0.20, p < 0.01) negatively predicted SE. In addition, BMI negatively predicted SD (β = -0.22, p < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

Prolonged SB (e.g., screen viewing, smartphone use, and computer playing) and higher BMI may link to shorter sleep duration and lower sleep efficiency in Chinese young adults. Future randomized controlled trials are needed to further confirm these findings. Given that increased BMI status and SB may relate to adverse health outcomes, more population-based intervention strategies seeking to lower BMI and reduce SB (e.g., nutrition education and physical activity promotion) are needed in this population.

Can physical activity attenuate the negative association between sitting time and cognitive function among older adults? A mediation analysis

The purpose of this study was to examine the combined association of sitting time and physical activity with cognitive function and to determine whether moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) is a mediator of the association between sitting time and cognitive function in a nationally representative sample of older adults from Chile. Data from 989 older adults (≥65 years old, 61.3% female) from the 2009-2010 Chilean Health Survey were analyzed. Physical activity and sitting time were measured using the Global Physical Activity questionnaire. Cognitive function was assessed using the modified Mini-Mental State levels Examination. Physical activity levels were categorized as "inactive" (<600 metabolic equivalent value minutes per week) or "active" (≥600 metabolic equivalent value minutes per week). Sitting time was categorized as "sedentary", defined as ≥4 h of reported sitting time per day, or "non-sedentary", defined as <4 h. We created the following groups (i) non-sedentary/active; (ii) non-sedentary/inactive; (iii) sedentary/active; and (iv) sedentary/inactive. Hayes's PROCESS macro was used for the simple mediation analysis. Compared with the reference group (individuals classified as non-sedentary/active), older adults who were classified as sedentary/active had elevated odds of cognitive impairment (OR = 1.90, [95% CI, 1.84 to 3.85]). However, the odds ratio for cognitive impairment was substantially increased in those classified as sedentary/inactive (OR = 4.85 [95% CI, 2.54 to 6.24]) compared with the reference group. MVPA was found to mediate the relationship between sitting time and cognitive function (Indirect Effect = -0.070 [95% CI, -0.012 to -0.004]).

CONCLUSION

The present findings suggest that, whether overall physical activity is high or low, spending large amounts of time sitting is associated with elevated odds of cognitive impairment and that MVPA slightly weakens the relationship between sitting time and cognitive function.