No changes in adolescent’s sedentary behaviour across Europe between 2002 and 2017

Abstract

Background Public health organizations have been alerted to the high levels of sedentary behaviour (SB) among adolescents as well as to the health and social consequences of excess sedentary time. However, SB changes of the European Union (EU) adolescents over time have not been reported yet. This study aimed to identify SB of the EU adolescents (15–17 years) in four-time points (2002, 2005, 2013 and 2017) and to analyse the prevalence of SB according to the sex. Methods SB of 2542 adolescents (1335 boys and 1207 girls) as a whole sample and country-by-country was analysed in 2002, 2005, 2013, and 2017 using the Sport and Physical Activity EU Special Eurobarometers’ data. SB was measured using the sitting time question from the short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), such that 4h30min of daily sitting time was the delineating point to determine excess SB behaviour (≥4h30min of sitting time) or not (≤4h30min of sitting time). A χ2 test was used to compare the prevalence of SB between survey years. Furthermore, SB prevalence between sexes was analysed using a Z-Score test for two population proportions. Results The prevalence of SB among EU adolescents across each of the four survey years ranged from 74.2 and 76.8%, rates that are considered high. High levels of SB were also displayed by both sexes (girls: 76.8 to 81.2%; boys: 71.7 to 76.7%). No significant differences in the prevalence of SB among years (p > 0.05) were found for the whole sample, and for either girls or boys. Also, no significant differences in the prevalence of SB between girls and boys were found. Conclusion The SB prevalence in European adolescents is extremely high (76.8% in 2017) with no differences between girls and boys. No significant improvements have been seen between 2002 and 2017. Eurobarometer should increase the adolescents’ sample to make possible benchmarking comparisons among the EU countries and extend the survey to the younger children population.

Physical Inactivity Levels of European Adolescents in 2002, 2005, 2013, and 2017

“…Some reasons for the high PIA levels among adolescents reported in the studied period are that adolescents spend up to 70% of their waking time in sedentary activities (around 9 h/day) [ 28 ]. This sedentary activity is, on average, made up of after-school time (from 27.7% to 88.9%) [ 29 ], leaving little time for PA. Additionally, the daily sitting time of European adolescents remained steady throughout the years studied [ 30 ], indicating no increase in time available for engaging in PA. Accordingly, promoting plans to substitute sedentary activities for PA or increasing the opportunities to participate in PA across different contexts (at secondary school, leisure time, etc.)…”

“…[ 12 , 36 ]. Although, as suggested in previous studies, despite these limitations, the use of these data for public health purposes should be valid as it does not apply to individuals but to group or year comparisons [ 30 ], and it is the only data available from the European Commission and all European Union Countries in different periods; (c) the IPAQ-SF used in 2002 and 2005 surveys had the classic open solution for minutes in both vigorous and moderate PA. At the same time, the 2013 and 2017 surveys had the possible answers for minutes truncated to several categorical response options. This might bias the comparison among years.…”

Appropriate Vestibular Stimulation in Children and Adolescents—A Prerequisite for Normal Cognitive, Motor Development and Bodily Homeostasis—A Review

“…A U.S. study found that children spend approximately 55% of their waking hours in non-physically active states [18]. The prevalence of sedentary behavior among European adolescents is very high (76.8%) and has not changed in the last twenty years [42]. The most alarming thing is the potential negative impact on body-weight gain, metabolic profile and diabetes.…”

Effects of Classical Breathing Exercises on Posture, Spinal and Chest Mobility among Female University Students Compared to Currently Popular Training Programs

“…Data from the Sport and Physical Activity EU Special Eurobarometer reveal that the prevalence of a sedentary lifestyle between 2005 and 2017 remains similar (74.2 to 76.8%; p > 0.05). A duration of 4 h and 30 min of sitting time was determined as sedentary behaviour [ 5 ].…”