Sedentary Behavior and Change in Kidney Function: The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL)

There is accumulating evidence linking prolonged sedentary time to adverse health outcomes. The effect of sedentary behavior on kidney function has not been evaluated in US Hispanics/Latinos, a population disproportionately affected by CKD.

We evaluated the association between accelerometer-measured (1 week) sedentary time at baseline and kidney function among 7134 adults without CKD at entry in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), who completed a baseline visit with accelerometry (2008-2011) and a follow-up visit (2014-2017). Outcomes included: (1) change in kidney function (eGFR and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio, ACR), (2) incident low eGFR (eGFR <60 ml/min per 1.73 m² and eGFR decline ≥1 ml/min per year), and (3) incident albuminuria (ACR ≥17 mg/g in men or ≥25 mg/g in women). Linear regression using survey procedures was used to evaluate change in kidney function (eGFR and ACR), and Poisson regression with robust variance was used to evaluate incident low eGFR and albuminuria.

The median sedentary time was 12 hours/d. Over a median follow-up of 6.1 years, the mean relative change in eGFR was -0.50% per year, and there were 167 incident low eGFR events. On multivariable analysis, each 1 hour increase in sedentary time was associated with a longitudinal decline in eGFR (-0.06% per year, 95% CI, -0.10 to -0.02). There was a significant interaction with sex, and on stratified analyses, higher sedentary time was associated with eGFR decline in women but not men. There was no association between sedentary time and the other outcomes.

Sedentary time was associated with a small longitudinal decline in eGFR, which could have important implications in a population that experiences a disproportionate burden of CKD but further investigation is needed.