Objective: The purpose of the study was to examine the longitudinal influence of sedentary behavior on the development of metabolic syndrome (MS) and cardiometabolic risk in professional workers.
Methods: Study participants were 203 professional workers (55.6% female; mean age = 41.9, SD = 11.2,) in low physical activity occupations. Participants' height, weight, waist circumference, fasting plasma glucose, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein were measured at the baseline and follow-up over 12 months. Accelerometry was used to assess the sedentary time and moderate and vigorous physical activity.
Results: High level of sedentary behavior at baseline significantly predicted incident MS (odds ratio 4.07, 95% confidence interval 1.69 to 9.76) at follow-up. Similarly, the change in sedentary behavior significantly predicted the change in the cardiometabolic risk score (B = 0.12, SE = 0.06, P = 0.03) from baseline to the follow-up.
Conclusion: Professional workers in low physical activity occupations were engaged in an excessive amount of sedentary behavior that predisposed them to an increased risk of developing cardiometabolic disorders.