Sedentary behaviour is associated with heightened cardiovascular, inflammatory and cortisol reactivity to acute psychological stress

Cardiovascular reactivity to acute psychological stress is associated with generalized self-efficacy and self-efficacy outcomes during adventure challenges

Outdoor adventure challenges are commonly used to enhance self-efficacy, but the physiological mechanisms involved remain unexplored. Additionally, while studies have documented the influence of self-efficacy on stress management, general self-efficacy has yet to be fully understood in the context of cardiovascular stress reactivity (CVR). This study investigated the influence of self-efficacy beliefs on CVR during acute psychological stress tasks. Additionally, it explored whether CVR serves as a novel mechanism underlying the outcomes of outdoor adventure challenges. As part of a wider randomized controlled trial, participants (n = 55) were invited to complete a laboratory session to assess CVR to an active (paced auditory serial addition test (PASAT)) and a passive (cold pressor test (CPT)) stress task. Randomized participants (n = 33) to the experimental condition also engaged in a high ropes challenge course after the laboratory session. It was found that greater self-reported self-efficacy was associated with larger CVR during the CPT and positively associated with perceived engagement and performance during the PASAT. Secondly, participants reporting positive change in self-efficacy post-intervention were associated with greater CVR and greater CVR was associated with higher ratings of intervention engagement and perceived challenge. This study provides preliminary evidence suggesting that greater efficacy beliefs may heighten CVR to passive acute psychological stressors. Habitual stress reactivity may represent a novel mechanism involved in outdoor and adventure-based interventions. Future research should continue to explore the impact of psychological variables on stress physiology and examine CVR as a potential mechanism in adventure experiences.

Study protocol and rationale of "the UP project": evaluating the effectiveness of active breaks on health indicators in desk-based workers

Background

Excessive sedentary time has been negatively associated with several health outcomes, and physical activity alone does not seem to fully counteract these consequences. This panorama emphasizes the essential of sedentary time interruption programs. "The Up Project" seeks to assess the effectiveness of two interventions, one incorporating active breaks led by a professional and the other utilizing a computer application (self-led), of both equivalent duration and intensity. These interventions will be compared with a control group to evaluate their impact on physical activity levels, sedentary time, stress perception, occupational pain, and cardiometabolic risk factors among office workers.

Methods

This quasi-experimental study includes 60 desk-based workers from universities and educational institutes in Valparaiso, Chile, assigned to three groups: (a) booster breaks led by professionals, (b) computer prompts that are unled, and (c) a control group. The intervention protocol for both experimental groups will last 12 weeks (only weekdays). The following measurements will be performed at baseline and post-intervention: cardiometabolic risk based on body composition (fat mass, fat-free mass, and bone mass evaluated by DXA), waist circumference, blood pressure, resting heart rate, and handgrip strength. Physical activity and sedentary time will be self-reported and device-based assessed using accelerometry. Questionnaires will be used to determine the perception of stress and occupational pain.

Discussion

Governments worldwide are addressing health issues associated with sedentary behavior, particularly concerning individuals highly exposed to it, such as desk-based workers. Despite implementing certain strategies, there remains a noticeable gap in comprehensive research comparing diverse protocols. For instance, studies that contrast the outcomes of interventions led by professionals with those prompted by computers are scarce. This ongoing project is expected to contribute to evidence-based interventions targeting reduced perceived stress levels and enhancing desk-based employees' mental and physical well-being. The implications of these findings could have the capacity to lay the groundwork for future public health initiatives and government-funded programs.

Evidence-based trends and association between symptom disturbance and physical activity among pregnant women: A longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

Women usually decrease their physical activity (PA) after becoming pregnant. The change in PA may influence their symptom distress (SD). The changes and correlations between SD and PA throughout pregnancy remain unclear.

AIMS

The aims of this study were to describe PA and SD trajectories across all three trimesters and examine their correlations during pregnancy.

METHODS

A repeated-measure longitudinal study with convenience sampling at a hospital in Northern Taiwan was performed. Participants were recruited at 8-16 weeks of gestation, and two follow-up visits were performed at 24-28 weeks of gestation (second trimester) and after 36 weeks of gestation (third trimester). A total of 225 participants completed the study. The participants completed the Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire (PPAQ) and Pregnancy-related Symptom Disturbance Scale (PSD), and sociodemographic and prenatal variables were recorded.

RESULTS

Throughout pregnancy, SD decreased then increased, showing an overall upward trend, whereas PA showed the opposite pattern, increasing then decreasing, with an overall downward trend. Sedentary activity was positively correlated with both physical and psychological SD during the second and third trimesters. Exceeding the Institute of Medicine's recommendations for gestational weight gain, having childcare support, sport/exercise-type, and light-intensity PA were negatively associated with the physical and psychological SD, while a history of miscarriage and sedentary-intensity PA were positively associated with the physical and psychological SD.

LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION

While several factors, including light-intensity PA, were found negatively associated with the physical and psychological SD, sedentary-intensity PA were positively associated with the physical and psychological SD, our findings shed light on future intervention strategies to relieve SD and decrease sedentary behavior among pregnant women.

Does light physical activity reduce blood pressure responses to laboratory stressors?

Individuals exhibiting exaggerated blood pressure responses to stress are at increased risk for later cardiovascular disease. Engagement in brief bouts of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity may reduce instances of these exaggerated blood pressure responses. While observational work has shown that periods of light physical activity may also be associated with reduced blood pressure responses to stress in daily life, the few experimental studies involving light physical activity have methodological limitations that temper conclusions. The current investigation sought to understand the effects of brief bouts of light physical activity on blood pressure responses to psychological stress. In a between-person, single-session experimental design, 179 healthy, young adults were randomized to 15 min of light physical activity, moderate physical activity, or sitting before engaging in a 10-min computerized Stroop Color-Word Interference Task. Blood pressure readings were collected throughout the study session. Surprisingly, the light physical activity participants showed higher systolic blood pressure responses to stress than control participants by 2.9 mmHg (F (2, 174) = 3.49, ηp 2  = 0.038, p = .03), whereas no significant differences were shown between moderate physical activity and control groups (F (2, 174) = 2.59, ηp 2  = 0.028, p = .078). These findings show that light physical activity may not be related to reduced blood pressure responses to stress in an experimental session involving healthy, college-aged adults and question the extent to which brief bouts of physical activity may reduce acute blood pressure responses to stress.

Air Pollutant impacts on the brain and neuroendocrine system with implications for peripheral organs: a perspective

Air pollutants are being increasingly linked to extrapulmonary multi-organ effects. Specifically, recent studies associate air pollutants with brain disorders including psychiatric conditions, neuroinflammation and chronic diseases. Current evidence of the linkages between neuropsychiatric conditions and chronic peripheral immune and metabolic diseases provides insights on the potential role of the neuroendocrine system in mediating neural and systemic effects of inhaled pollutants (reactive particulates and gases). Autonomically-driven stress responses, involving sympathetic-adrenal-medullary and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axes regulate cellular physiological processes through adrenal-derived hormones and diverse receptor systems. Recent experimental evidence demonstrates the contribution of the very stress system responding to non-chemical stressors, in mediating systemic and neural effects of reactive air pollutants. The assessment of how respiratory encounter of air pollutants induce lung and peripheral responses through brain and neuroendocrine system, and how the impairment of these stress pathways could be linked to chronic diseases will improve understanding of the causes of individual variations in susceptibility and the contribution of habituation/learning and resiliency. This review highlights effects of air pollution in the respiratory tract that impact the brain and neuroendocrine system, including the role of autonomic sensory nervous system in triggering neural stress response, the likely contribution of translocated nano particles or metal components, and biological mediators released systemically in causing effects remote to the respiratory tract. The perspective on the use of systems approaches that incorporate multiple chemical and non-chemical stressors, including environmental, physiological and psychosocial, with the assessment of interactive neural mechanisms and peripheral networks are emphasized.

Associations between sedentary behavior and negative emotions in adolescents during home confinement: Mediating role of social support and sleep quality

Background

Prolonged periods of sedentary behaviour, for instance, engendered by home confinement in Shenzhen city, has led to negative mental health consequences, especially in adolescents. Previous research suggests, in general, that sedentary behavior can increase negative emotions. However, the specific mechanism driving the relationship between sedentary behavior and negative emotions is still relatively unclear. Social support and sleep quality might partly explain the effect of sedentary behavior on negative emotions. Thus, the current study aimed to examine the associations between sedentary behavior and negative emotions, and to investigate if social support and sleep quality mediate such a relationship.

Method

During home confinement due to the COVID-19 Omicron variant outbreak, 1179 middle and high school students in Shenzhen were invited to voluntarily complete an e-questionnaire, including the 21-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21), the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF), the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Data from 1065 participants were included in the analysis.

Results

We observed significant sex-related and demografic-related differences in emotional (e.g., anxiety, stress and social support) and other outcome variables (e.g., sitting duration and PSQI score). Furthermore, sedentary behavior, social support, and sleep quality were associated with negative emotions (p < .01), even after controlling for sex, age, only-child case, body mass index, and metabolic equivalent level. In addition, social support and sleep quality partially mediated the association between sedentary behavior and negative emotions.

Conclusion

The findings of the current study suggest that social support and sleep quality partially mediate the relationship between sedentary behavior and negative emotions in middle and high school students during home confinement in Shenzhen city.

Cardiovascular stress reactivity, habituation, and adiposity

The relationship between adiposity and cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality is complex. One pathway through which adiposity may influence future health outcomes is by altering how biological systems respond to stress. The current study aimed to examine the association between two metrics of adiposity (body mass index and waist-hip ratio) and two indices of cardiovascular stress responses (reactivity and habituation). A sample of 455 participants (Mean age = 19.47, SD = 1.25 years; BMI = 24.32, SD = 5.04 kg/m² ; 62% female; 17.9% Hispanic/Latino; 65.2% White, 18.7% Asian, 7.9% Black, 0.2% American Indian/Alaska Native, and 7% other) completed two acute psychosocial stress tasks. Heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were recorded throughout each stressor. In unadjusted and adjusted models, there were no statistically significant associations between adiposity and HR, SBP, or DBP stress reactivity or habituation. The current data do not support the hypothesis that adiposity influences health by altering cardiovascular responses to acute psychological stress. Results are at odds with prior population-level studies and the single prior study examining adiposity and habituation. At the same time, results are in line with mounting evidence that adiposity itself does not drive poor cardiovascular outcomes seen in people classified as overweight or obese.

Public Health Concern on Sedentary Behavior and Cardiovascular Disease: A Bibliometric Analysis of Literature from 1990 to 2022

Background and Objectives: Cardiovascular disease is a long-term threat to global public health security, while sedentary behavior is a modifiable behavior among cardiovascular risk factors. This study aimed to analyze the peer-reviewed literature published globally on sedentary behavior and cardiovascular disease (SB-CVD) and identify the hotspots and frontiers within this research area. Materials and Methods: Publications on SB-CVD from 1990 to 2022 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. CiteSpace and VOSviewer were applied to perform bibliometric and knowledge mapping visualization analyses. Results: A total of 2071 publications were retrieved, presenting a gradual growing trend. Authors from the USA topped the list with 748 (36.12%), followed by authors from England (373, 18.01%) and Australia (354, 17.09%). The University of Queensland, Australia, led with 95 (4.5%) publications. The top five active authors were all from Australia, while Dunstan D and Owen N published the most documents (56, 2.7%). A total of 71.27% of the publications received funding, and the United States Department of Health and Human Services provided 363 (17.53%) grants. Public Environmental Occupational Health (498, 24.05%), Sport Sciences (237, 11.44%), and Cardiac Cardiovascular Systems (212, 10.24%) were the three most popular disciplines, while PLOS One (96, 4.64%) and BMC Public Health (88, 4.25%) were the two most popular journals. Investigations within the SB-CVD research area addressed the entire lifespan, the most popular type of research was the epidemiological study, and the accelerometer was the primary instrument for measuring sedentary behavior. In terms of variables, physical activity and sedentary behavior were the dominant lifestyle behaviors, while obesity and hypertension were common health problems. Occupational physical activity and guidelines are at the frontier and are currently in the burst stage. Conclusions: The last three decades have witnessed the rapid development of the SB-CVD research area, and this study provided further research ideas for subsequent investigations.

Frequently Interrupting Prolonged Sitting With Light Body-Weighted Resistance Activity Alters Psychobiological Responses to Acute Psychological Stress: A Randomized Crossover Trial

BACKGROUND

Uninterrupted prolonged sitting and exaggerated psychobiological reactivity to acute psychological stress are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Breaking up prolonged sitting with frequent, short bouts of light-intensity physical activity acutely lowers CVD risk markers under resting conditions.

PURPOSE

To examine whether frequent interruptions to prolonged sitting with body-weighted resistance activity can acutely lower systolic blood pressure (SBP; primary outcome) and other cardiovascular (CV), inflammatory, and cortisol (secondary outcomes) responses to acute psychological stress.

METHODS

This randomized crossover trial included 17 sedentary participants (9 men; mean ± SD age; 24.0 ± 0.5 years) who completed two conditions: (i) interrupting 4 hr of sitting with 4 min of light body-weighted resistance activity every 30-min (BREAK), and (ii) 4 hr of uninterrupted sitting (SIT). Following the BREAK and SIT intervention windows, CV, inflammatory, and cortisol markers were measured at rest, during stress tasks (8-min Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test [PASAT] and 3-min cold pressor [CP]), and 45-min recovery periods.

RESULTS

There were main effects of time for CV parameters (SBP, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, cardiac output, and total peripheral resistance [all p < .001]), inflammatory markers (interleukin-6 [IL-6]), and cortisol (p < .05) in response to stress. Time-by-condition interaction effects revealed that in the BREAK-condition there was lower SBP during immediate recovery from the CP (mean {95% confidence interval [CI]}: 127.2 [121.3, 133.4] vs 133.4 [125.5, 141.7] mmHg; p = .020), higher concentrations of plasma IL-6 45-min post-PASAT (2.70 [1.97, 3.70] vs 1.71 [1.32, 2.22] pg/mL; p = .010), and larger (nonsignificant) salivary cortisol concentrations 8-min post-CP (6.29 [4.60, 8.58] vs 3.97 [3.16, 4.99] nmol/L; p = .079).

CONCLUSIONS

Interrupting prolonged sitting with frequent bouts of light intensity body-weighted resistance activity alters psychobiological responses to acute psychological stress. Further research should explore the longer-term implications for CVD risk.