Sedentary Behavior Is Associated With Low Leisure-Time Physical Activity and High Body Fatness in Older Brazilian Adults

Emerson Sebastião, Julie Bobitt, Camila Bosquiero Papini, Priscila Missaki Nakamura, Eduardo Kokubun, Sebastião Gobbi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Sedentary behavior (SB) has emerged as a new health risk factor, including risk of premature death. This study examined the association between SB and measures of physical activity and body fatness in older Brazilian adults. Self-report measures of SB (ie, sitting time [ST]), leisure-time physical activity (LTPA), and body fatness (body mass index [BMI]) were collected from 355 older adults aged 60 years and older by trained interviewers. Statistical procedures were conducted using SPSS software with significance set at P <.05. Overall, the median ST was 3 hours per day. Mean values of LTPA and BMI for the entire sample were 90.0 (197.4) min/week and 26.5 (4.9) kg/m2, respectively. Partial correlations controlling for age revealed that ST was negatively associated with LTPA (pr = −.15 [−.25; −.04]; P =.006) and positively associated with BMI (pr =.25 [.14;.35]; P <.001). Age, BMI, and LTPA emerged as independent predictors of ST, explaining a small but significant variance in ST (R2 =.12; P =.02). Furthermore, t test revealed a significant difference in LTPA and BMI between groups of different amounts of sitting. The findings suggest that prolonged ST may have a negative impact on LTPA and BMI in older Brazilian adults.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)286-292
Number of pages7
JournalAmerican Journal of Lifestyle Medicine
Volume15
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2021

Keywords

  • body fat
  • chronic diseases
  • developing country
  • elderly
  • sitting time

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Medicine (miscellaneous)
  • Health Policy
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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