Systematic review of sedentary behaviour and health indicators in school-aged children and youth
Top Cited Papers
Open Access
- 1 January 2011
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity
- Vol. 8 (1), 98
- https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-8-98
Abstract
Accumulating evidence suggests that, independent of physical activity levels, sedentary behaviours are associated with increased risk of cardio-metabolic disease, all-cause mortality, and a variety of physiological and psychological problems. Therefore, the purpose of this systematic review is to determine the relationship between sedentary behaviour and health indicators in school-aged children and youth aged 5-17 years. Online databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE and PsycINFO), personal libraries and government documents were searched for relevant studies examining time spent engaging in sedentary behaviours and six specific health indicators (body composition, fitness, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease, self-esteem, pro-social behaviour and academic achievement). 232 studies including 983,840 participants met inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Television (TV) watching was the most common measure of sedentary behaviour and body composition was the most common outcome measure. Qualitative analysis of all studies revealed a dose-response relation between increased sedentary behaviour and unfavourable health outcomes. Watching TV for more than 2 hours per day was associated with unfavourable body composition, decreased fitness, lowered scores for self-esteem and pro-social behaviour and decreased academic achievement. Meta-analysis was completed for randomized controlled studies that aimed to reduce sedentary time and reported change in body mass index (BMI) as their primary outcome. In this regard, a meta-analysis revealed an overall significant effect of -0.81 (95% CI of -1.44 to -0.17, p = 0.01) indicating an overall decrease in mean BMI associated with the interventions. There is a large body of evidence from all study designs which suggests that decreasing any type of sedentary time is associated with lower health risk in youth aged 5-17 years. In particular, the evidence suggests that daily TV viewing in excess of 2 hours is associated with reduced physical and psychosocial health, and that lowering sedentary time leads to reductions in BMI.Keywords
This publication has 99 references indexed in Scilit:
- The ecology of childhood overweight: a 12-year longitudinal analysisInternational Journal of Obesity, 2007
- Are computer and cell phone use associated with body mass index and overweight? A population study among twin adolescentsBMC Public Health, 2007
- TV Viewing and Physical Activity Are Independently Associated with Metabolic Risk in Children: The European Youth Heart StudyPLoS Medicine, 2006
- Overweight and obesity related to activities in Portuguese children, 7-9 yearsEuropean Journal of Public Health, 2006
- Use of information and communication technology and prevalence of overweight and obesity among adolescentsInternational Journal of Obesity, 2005
- Physical activity, television viewing and body mass index: a cross-sectional analysis from childhood to adulthood in the 1958 British cohortInternational Journal of Obesity, 2005
- Overweight and obesity in Canadian adolescents and their associations with dietary habits and physical activity patternsJournal of Adolescent Health, 2004
- Quantifying heterogeneity in a meta-analysisStatistics in Medicine, 2002
- Television viewing, physical activity, and health-related fitness of youth in the Québec family studyJournal of Adolescent Health, 1998
- Meta-analysis in clinical trialsControlled Clinical Trials, 1986