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Prolonged Sitting, Its Combination With Physical Inactivity and Incidence of Lung Cancer: Prospective Data From the
Lin Jiang1, Yi-Qian Sun2, Ben Michael Brumpton3,4,5
1Department of Public Health and Nursing, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
Frontiers in Oncology
|March 13, 2019
Summary
Prolonged sitting alone does not increase lung cancer risk. However, combining prolonged sitting with physical inactivity may elevate the risk of developing lung cancer, even after accounting for smoking.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
- Oncology
Background:
- Sedentary behavior, particularly prolonged sitting, is a growing public health concern.
- The association between prolonged sitting and lung cancer risk remains unclear.
- Understanding this relationship is crucial, especially considering variations in physical activity levels among individuals who sit for extended periods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prospectively investigate the association between daily sitting time and lung cancer incidence.
- To examine the combined effect of prolonged sitting and physical activity on lung cancer risk, including different histologic types.
- To clarify the independent and interactive roles of sitting time and physical activity in lung cancer development.
Main Methods:
- A prospective cohort study involving 45,810 cancer-free adults from the HUNT Study in Norway.
- Baseline data collected on total daily sitting time and physical activity levels via self-report.
- Lung cancer incidence ascertained through the Cancer Registry of Norway, with follow-up for a median of 18.3 years. Cox regression analysis used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
Main Results:
- No significant association was found between total daily sitting time and overall lung cancer incidence or specific histologic subtypes.
- Participants reporting prolonged sitting (≥8 hours daily) combined with physical inactivity showed an increased risk of overall lung cancer (adjusted HR = 1.44) and small cell lung cancer (adjusted HR = 2.58).
- Neither prolonged sitting alone nor physical inactivity alone was associated with an increased incidence of lung cancer.
Conclusions:
- Prolonged sitting is not independently associated with an increased risk of lung cancer.
- The combination of prolonged sitting and physical inactivity may significantly increase lung cancer risk.
- While smoking was adjusted for, residual confounding by smoking cannot be entirely ruled out as a potential factor.
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