Background: The objective of this study was to investigate the associations between sedentary behavior patterns and cardiometabolic risk in children using a monitor that accurately distinguishes between different postures.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 118 children (67 girls) aged 11-12 years had adiposity, blood pressure, lipids, and glucose measured, and then they wore an activPAL device to record sitting, standing, and stepping for 7 consecutive days. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression.
Results: After adjustment for potential confounders and moderate to vigorous physical activity, the number of breaks in sitting was significantly negatively associated with adiposity (standardized β ≥ -0.546; P ≤ .001) and significantly positively associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (β = 0.415; P ≤ .01). Time in prolonged sitting bouts was significantly negatively associated with adiposity (β ≥ -0.577; P ≤ .001) and significantly positively associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (β = 0.432; P ≤ .05). Standing time was significantly negatively associated with adiposity (β ≥ -0.270; P ≤ .05) and significantly positively associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (β = 0.312; P ≤ .05).
Conclusions: This study suggests that increasing the number of breaks in sitting and increasing standing time are beneficially associated with cardiometabolic risk and should be considered in health promotion interventions in children.
Keywords: accelerometry; cardiovascular health; metabolic health; pediatrics; physical activity; sitting/standing.