Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and sedentary behaviours in relation to body mass index-defined and waist circumference-defined obesity

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationships of physical activity types and sedentary behaviour with BMI and waist circumference (WC). The sample comprised 6215 adults (2775 men, 3440 women) aged 16 years and over living in Scotland. Self-reported physical activity of moderate to vigorous intensity (MVIA) included domestic activity, walking, and sports and exercises. MVIA levels were classified as being inactive, being insufficiently active, being sufficiently active for general health benefits and being sufficiently active for obesity prevention. Sedentary time was defined as television and other screen-based entertainment time (TVSE). Dependent variables were BMI-defined obesity (BMI-OB) and WC-defined obesity (WC-OB). TVSE was positively related to both WC-OB (adjusted OR 1·69 (95 % CI 1·39, 2·05) for $4 h of TVSE per d compared with ,2 h/d) and BMI-OB (OR 1·88; 95 % CI 1·51, 2·35) independently of MVIA. Those classified as most active who reported $ 4 h/d of TVSE had higher prevalence of BMI-OB (18·9 v. 8·3 %; P, 0·05) and WC-OB (28·0 v. 10·0 %; P,0·01) than those equally active with ,2 h/d of TVSE. Sports and walking were related inversely to WC-OB (OR for no time compared with $ 30 min/d: 1·55 (95 % CI 1·24, 1·94); 2·06 (95 % CI 1·64, 2·58)), but only walking was related to BMI-OB (OR 1·94; 95 % CI 1·58, 2·37). Domestic physical activity was not related to BMI-OB or WC-OB. In conclusion, physical activity and sedentary behaviour are independently related to obesity. Public health recommendations should both promote physical activity and discourage engagement in sedentary pursuits. Obesity: Waist circumference: Physical activity: Sedentary behaviourObesity is a major risk factor for many metabolic disorders and non-communicable diseases such as CVD, diabetes and certain forms of cancer (1,2) . Obesity prevalence is increasing rapidly worldwide (3) . Scotland has one of the highest prevalence rates of obesity in Europe and rates of adults who were either overweight or obese increased markedly between 1995 and 2003 (55·6 -64·0 % in men; 47·2 -57·3 % in women) (4) .Physical inactivity is an established risk factor for the development and maintenance of obesity (5) . Recently, considerable attention has been given to the role of sedentary behaviour (for example, television viewing, computer, sitting, playing video games) in obesity. Although epidemiological studies indicate that sedentary behaviours are associated with obesity independently of physical activity (6 -9) , current physical activity recommendations (10 -14) do not include limiting sedentary behaviour. This may be due to limitations of the current evidence. For example, measurements of physical activity in epidemiological studies are largely restricted to leisure-time pursuits, with domestic activities (such as housework and gardening) rarely taken into account. Domestic activities represent a substantial proportion of total physical activity in middle-aged (15) and older-aged (16) individuals and are explicitly encouraged by ...

Prevalence of obesity, overweight and abdominal obesity and its association with physical activity in a federal University

“…Stamatakis et al 44 , investigating the association between OA and PA (using IPAQ) in Scottish adults, found inverse association; individuals classified as insufficiently active had an adjusted OR close to that obtained for inactive individuals (OR = 1.43; 95%CI 1.18 -1.72 and OR = 1.41; 95%CI 1.13 -1.76, respectively), compared to individuals practicing PA according to the recommendation for reducing obesity (at least 420 minutes per week of a combination of moderate or vigorous PA) 41 .…”

Objectively Assessed Physical Activity, Sedentary Time, and Coronary Artery Calcification in Healthy Older Adults

“…An emerging body of evidence has shown that excessive sedentary behavior (sitting) may be linked to increased risk for obesity, 31 dyslipidemia, 32 and impaired glucose metabolism, 33 independently of MVPA. In addition, several prospective studies have shown associations between excessive sitting and risk of incident cardiovascular disease.…”

Sedentary Behavior and Cancer: A Systematic Review of the Literature and Proposed Biological Mechanisms

“…One prospective study, which had only measured sedentary behavior at follow-up, found a positive association (OR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.21-1.83) between weight gain (from baseline to follow-up) and higher levels of sedentary behavior at follow-up (93). A second prospective study found that baseline sedentary behavior (assessed by individually calibrated heart rate monitoring) did not predict fat mass, BMI, or waist circumference There were 51 cross-sectional studies of sedentary behavior and adiposity or related measures (e.g., BMI or waist circumference), of which 42 found statistically significant associations (12,16,, and one further study showed a borderline positive association (80 48,50,56,60,70,73,77,78).…”