Not all sedentary behaviour is equal: Children's adiposity and sedentary behaviour volumes, patterns and types
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Rima N Shakir1, Alison M Coates1, Timothy Olds1
1University of South Australia, Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity (ARENA), School of Health Sciences, Sansom Institute for Health Research, City East Campus, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide, South Australia, 5001, Australia.
Insights
Sedentary behavior patterns, not just duration, are linked to childhood obesity. Associations differ between boys and girls, with screen time being a key factor.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric obesity research
- Behavioral science
- Public health
Background:
- Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern.
- The specific impact of different sedentary behaviors on child adiposity remains unclear.
- Understanding these relationships is crucial for developing targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the associations between various sedentary behavior constructs (volume, patterns, types) and adiposity in children.
- To investigate potential sex-specific differences in these relationships.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study involving 234 children aged 10-13 years (healthy-weight and obese).
- Adiposity assessed via percent body fat and waist-to-height ratio.
- Sedentary behaviors (time, type, bout length) measured using accelerometry and the Multimedia Activity Recall for Children and Adolescents.
Main Results:
- Television time was positively associated with adiposity in both sexes.
- Prolonged sedentary bouts and video game/computer use were linked to higher adiposity in boys.
- Non-screen sedentary behavior was associated with lower adiposity in girls.
Conclusions:
- Sedentary behavior characteristics beyond total duration are associated with childhood adiposity.
- The relationship between sedentary behaviors and adiposity exhibits significant sex-specific differences.
Objective:
The importance of different constructs of sedentary behaviours in relation to childhood obesity is uncertain. Thus, this study aimed to investigate relationships between volume, patterns and types of sedentary behaviour and adiposity in children.
Methods:
A case-control study was undertaken involving 234 children aged 10-13years who were either of a healthy-weight (74 boys, 56 girls) or classified as obese (56 boys, 48 girls). Percent body fat (by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) and waist-to-height ratio were assessed. Time, type (television, videogame, computer, eating, passive transport) and bout length of sedentary behaviours were measured using accelerometry and the Multimedia Activity Recall for Children and Adolescents. Time use (total daily energy expenditure, sleep, physical activity), age, household income and Tanner stage were covariates in sex-stratified partial least squares analyses.
Results:
Daily energy expenditure and income were negatively associated with adiposity for both sexes. Television time was consistently positively associated with adiposity. In boys only, prolonged bouts of sedentary behaviour and time spent playing video games/computer were positively linked with adiposity. Non-screen sedentary behaviour was negatively associated with adiposity in girls. Independent of total energy expenditure, total sedentary time was only inconsistently associated with fatness.
Conclusions:
These data suggest that (1) characteristics of sedentary time other than duration are associated with adiposity in children, and (2) associations may be sex-specific.