Background Sedentary behavior is recognized as a distinct construct from lack of moderate-vigorous physical activity and is associated with deleterious health outcomes. Previous studies have primarily relied on self-reported data, while data on the relationship between objectively-measured sedentary time and cardiometabolic biomarkers are sparse, especially among U.S. Hispanics/Latinos. Methods and Results We examined associations of objectively-measured sedentary time (via Actical accelerometers for 7 days) and multiple cardiometabolic biomarkers among 12,083 participants, aged 18–74 years, from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos. Hispanics/Latinos of diverse backgrounds (Central American, Cuban, Dominican, Mexican, Puerto Rican, and South American) were recruited from 4 U.S. cities between 2008 and 2011. Sedentary time (<100 counts/minute) was standardized to 16-hour/day of wear time. The mean sedentary time was 11.9 hours/day (74% of accelerometer wear time). After adjustment for moderate-vigorous physical activity and confounding variables, prolonged sedentary time was associated with decreased high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol (P=0.04), and increased triglycerides, 2-hour glucose, fasting insulin and HOMA-IR (all P<0.0001). These associations were generally consistent across age, sex, Hispanic/Latino backgrounds, and physical activity levels. Even among individuals meeting physical activity guidelines, sedentary time was detrimentally associated with several cardiometabolic biomarkers (diastolic blood pressure, HDL-cholesterol, fasting and 2-hour glucose, fasting insulin and HOMA-IR; all P<0.05). Conclusions Our large population-based, objectively-derived data showed deleterious associations between sedentary time and cardiometabolic biomarkers, independent of physical activity, in U.S. Hispanics/Latinos. Our findings emphasize the importance of reducing sedentary behavior for the prevention of cardiometabolic diseases, even in those who meet physical activity recommendations.

The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) is a widely used self-report measure of depression symptomatology. This study evaluated the reliability, validity, and measurement invariance of the CES-D 10 in a diverse cohort of Hispanics/Latinos from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL). The sample consisted of 16,415 Hispanic/Latino adults recruited from four field centers (Miami, FL; San Diego, CA; Bronx, NY; Chicago, IL). Participants completed interview administered measures in English or Spanish. The CES-D 10 was examined for internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, and measurement invariance. The total score for the CES-D 10 displayed acceptable internal consistencies (Cronbach α’s = .80 – .86) and test-retest reliability (r’s = .41 – .70) across the total sample, language group and ethnic background group. The total CES-D 10 scores correlated in a theoretically consistent manner with the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (r = .72, p < .001), the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 depression measure (r = .80, p < .001) the Short Form-12’s Mental Component Summary (r = −.65, p < .001) and Physical Component Summary score (r = −.25, p < .001). A confirmatory factor analysis showed that a one-factor model fit the CES-D 10 data well (CFI = .986, RMSEA = .047) after correlating one pair of item residual variances. Multiple group analyses showed the one-factor structure to be invariant across English and Spanish speaking responders and partially invariant across Hispanic/Latino background groups. The total score of the CES-D 10 can be recommended for use with Hispanics/Latinos in English and Spanish.

Background Excessive sedentary time is ubiquitous in developed nations and is associated with deleterious health outcomes. Few studies have examined whether the manner in which sedentary time is accrued (in short or long bouts) carries any clinical relevance. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of prolonged-uninterrupted sedentary behavior with glycemic biomarkers in a cohort of U.S. Hispanic/Latino adults. Methods We studied 12,083 participants from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), a population-based study of Hispanic/Latino adults 18–74 years. Homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and glycosylated hemoglobin (Hb1Ac) were measured from a fasting blood sample and 2-hour glucose was measured following an oral glucose tolerance test. Sedentary time was objectively measured using a hip-mounted accelerometer. Prolonged, uninterrupted sedentariness was expressed as mean sedentary bout length. Results Adjusted for potential confounders and moderate-vigorous physical activity, longer sedentary bout duration was dose-dependently associated with increased HOMA-IR (p-trend <0.001) and 2-hour glucose levels (p-trend=0.015). These associations were not independent of total sedentary time, however a significant interaction between sedentary bout duration and total sedentary time was observed. Evaluation of the joint association of total sedentary time and sedentary bout duration showed that participants in the upper quartile for both sedentary characteristics (i.e. high total sedentary time and high sedentary bout duration) had the highest levels of HOMA-IR (p<0.001 vs. low group for both sedentary characteristics) and 2-hour glucose (p=0.002 vs. low group for both sedentary characteristics). High total sedentary time or high sedentary bout duration alone were not associated with differences in any glycemic biomarkers Conclusions Accruing sedentary time in prolonged, uninterrupted bouts may be deleteriously associated with biomarkers of glucose regulation.