Research and education for the promotion of physical activity

Physical Activity ForumMay 2014

Get Up, Stand Up: A Public Health Perspective on Sedentary Behaviour

HIGHLIGHTS

Keynote Speaker: John C Spence, PhD; Sedentary Living Lab, Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, University of Alberta

Key Definitions:

Physical Activity

• Any body movement produced by the skeletal muscles that results in a substantial increase over resting energy expenditure (Bouchard & Shepard, 1994).

Physical Inactivity

• Participating in an insufficient amount of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity according to the age-specific physical activity guidelines (Sedentary Behaviour Research Network, 2012).

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Metabolic Equivalents*

Sedentary Activity Light PA Moderate PA Vigorous PA

Sedentary Behaviour

• Any waking activity characterized by an energy expenditure ≤ 1.5 METS while in a sitting or reclining posture (Sedentary Behaviour Research Network, 2012).

Sedentary Lifestyle

• Accumulating < 5,000 steps/day identifies non-exercise physical activity deficiency, a lack of movement, and a large accumulated time in sedentary behaviours (Tudor-Locke, et al., 2012).

References: Tremblay et al., 2010 Ainsworth et al., 2000

2014 Physical Activity Forum 2

Canadian Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines

1. Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines for the Early Years (CSEP, 2011):

Caregivers should minimize the time infants, toddlers and preschoolers spend being sedentary during waking hours. This includes prolonged sitting or being restrained (e.g., stroller, high chair) for more than 1 hour at a time.

For those under 2 years, screen time (e.g., TV, computer, electronic games) is not recommended.

For children 2 to 4 years, screen time should be limited to under 1 hour per day; less is better.

2. Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines for Children and Youth (CSEP, 2011):

Limit recreational screen time to no more than 2 hours per day; lower levels are associated with additional health benefits.

Limit sedentary (motorized) transport, extended sitting and time spent indoors throughout the day.

3. Currently, no sedentary guidelines exist for adults.

Sedentary Behaviour in Canada

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

Women 20 to 79 yrs

Men 20 to 79 yrs

5 yrs3 to 4 yrs

MVPA

SED

21

66 6827

348384

575 585

Table 1. Average daily minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behaviour (SED) per day in Canadians (CHMS, Colley et al., 2011; Colley et al., 2013)

2014 Physical Activity Forum 3

Sedentary Behaviour and Health

Effects of Being Sedentary

• Being sedentary is independently associated with poor insulin sensitivity, high triglycerides, poor glucose tolerance, low HDL, poor fasting insulin and glucose profiles, high LDL, low bone mineral density, and decreased muscle mass (Hamilton et al., 2008).

• The “population life expectancy in the USA would be 2 years higher if adults reduced their time spent sitting to < 3 hours/day and 1.38 years higher if they reduced television viewing to < 2 hours/day” (Katzmarzyk & Lee, 2012).

Solutions to Decrease Sedentary Behaviour

Key Messages:

i. For those who can, stand at least 1 to 2 times per hour

ii. Take a minimum of 5,000 steps per day

iii. Get outdoors

iv. Challenge the norm of sitting

At Schools:

i. Include frequent and brief activity breaks

a. Recess

b. Chairless classrooms

i. Stability balls

ii. Standing or adjustable desks

iii. Learning mats

At Home:

i. Stand while watching TV

ii. Encourage kids to engage in active play

iii. Avoid child restraints where possible

iv. Use active transportation

v. Walk the dog

At Workplaces:

i. Intentionally stand more with

a. Standing breaks and walking meetings

b. Standing/adjustable desks

ii. Encourage public transit and active transportation to get to and from work

2014 Physical Activity Forum 4

The debate between increasing physical activity and decreasing sedentary behaviour is still on. Researchers are currently questioning if the two behaviours are really independent from each other.

Ekelund et al., 2012 noted:

“Higher MVPA time by children and adolescents was associated with better cardiometabolic risk regardless of the amount of sedentary time.”

Regardless of the debates in the literature, too much sitting is problematic.

The solution is simple: stand up and move around!

“Nothing over the last few million years of human history has changed human energetics as much as the low cost of working at a desk using machines run by electric power.”

(Lieberman, 2013, p. 217)

The full presentation, speaker’s slides and reference list are available on the Centre’s website:

www.centre4activeliving.ca

For more information:Alberta Centre for Active Living11759 Groat RoadEdmonton, Alberta, Canada T5M 3K6Ph: 780.427.6949 or 1.800.661.4551 E-mail: active.living@ualberta.ca