A systematic review of correlates of sedentary behaviour in adults aged 18–65 years: a socio-ecological approach

Abstract

BackgroundRecent research shows that sedentary behaviour is associated with adverse cardio-metabolic consequences even among those considered sufficiently physically active. In order to successfully develop interventions to address this unhealthy behaviour, factors that influence sedentariness need to be identified and fully understood. The aim of this review is to identify individual, social, environmental, and policy-related determinants or correlates of sedentary behaviours among adults aged 18–65 years.MethodsPubMed, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Web of Science were searched for articles published between January 2000 and September 2015. The search strategy was based on four key elements and their synonyms: (a) sedentary behaviour (b) correlates (c) types of sedentary behaviours (d) types of correlates. Articles were included if information relating to sedentary behaviour in adults (18–65 years) was reported. Studies on samples selected by disease were excluded. The full protocol is available from PROSPERO (PROSPERO 2014:CRD42014009823).Results74 original studies were identified out of 4041: 71 observational, two qualitative and one experimental study. Sedentary behaviour was primarily measured as self-reported screen leisure time and total sitting time. In 15 studies, objectively measured total sedentary time was reported: accelerometry (n = 14) and heart rate (n = 1). Individual level factors such as age, physical activity levels, body mass index, socio-economic status and mood were all significantly correlated with sedentariness. A trend towards increased amounts of leisure screen time was identified in those married or cohabiting while having children resulted in less total sitting time. Several environmental correlates were identified including proximity of green space, neighbourhood walkability and safety and weather.ConclusionsResults provide further evidence relating to several already recognised individual level factors and preliminary evidence relating to social and environmental factors that should be further investigated. Most studies relied upon cross-sectional design limiting causal inference and the heterogeneity of the sedentary measures prevented direct comparison of findings. Future research necessitates longitudinal study designs, exploration of policy-related factors, further exploration of environmental factors, analysis of inter-relationships between identified factors and better classification of sedentary behaviour domains.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-016-2841-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Factores asociados a sedentarismo en Chile: evidencia de la Encuesta Nacional de Salud 2009-2010

“…Los principales factores asociados a sedentarismo son concordantes con estudios previos que han sido resumidos en una reciente revisión sistemática que reportaron que los principales factores asociados al sedentarismo en poblaciones de Norteamérica, Nueva Zelandia, Europa y Asia son: sexo, IMC, enfermedades crónicas como la DMT2, síndrome metabólico, nivel educacional e ingresos, y otros factores no estudiados en este documento, como psicológicos e interpersonales 27 . Nuestro estudio, además, identificó que las personas que habitan en zonas urbanas, fuman o son exfumadores, presentan un mal autorreporte de salud y bienestar y poseen bienes como DVD, computador o vehículo son más propensas a ser sedentarias.…”

The sedentary profile of primary care patients

“…27 Age was negatively associated with sitting which is a somewhat surprising finding, as to date, the majority of studies generally report positive associations between sitting time and age, indicating that as people get older their behaviour becomes more sedentary. 16 However, over 60% (62.8%, n ¼ 556) of study participants were under the age of 44 and ,10% were aged 65 or over indicating that the study sample was relatively young. Sitting time was high amongst younger participants with 40% (40.2%, n ¼ 70) of 18-to 29-year olds sitting for .6 h daily.…”

“…Of the other health indicators examined in this study being overweight/obese was also positively associated with sitting, a finding strongly supported by the literature. 16 …”

“…14 Two reviews have recently summarized the evidence regarding the factors that influence sedentary behaviours in adults. 15,16 These include individual factors such as age, gender and health status, behavioural factors including physical activity and smoking, as well as factors related to socio-economic status and the environment. 15,16 A measure of sedentary behaviour has only recently been included in the National Health Survey in Ireland, with preliminary findings suggesting that adults spend an average of 5.3 h sitting each weekday.…”

“…15,16 These include individual factors such as age, gender and health status, behavioural factors including physical activity and smoking, as well as factors related to socio-economic status and the environment. 15,16 A measure of sedentary behaviour has only recently been included in the National Health Survey in Ireland, with preliminary findings suggesting that adults spend an average of 5.3 h sitting each weekday. 17 At present, it is unclear whether national level data provides an accurate measure of the sedentary behaviours of the primary care population.…”