Objectively Measured Sedentary Time, Physical Activity, and Metabolic Risk

The Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study (AusDiab)

  1. Genevieve N. Healy, MPH1,
  2. Katrien Wijndaele, PHD1,
  3. David W. Dunstan, PHD2,
  4. Jonathan E. Shaw, MD2,
  5. Jo Salmon, PHD3,
  6. Paul Z. Zimmet, MD2 and
  7. Neville Owen, PHD1
  1. 1School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
  2. 2International Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Australia
  3. 3School of Exercise and Nutrition Science, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia
  1. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Genevieve Healy, Population Health, The University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland, Australia 4006. E-mail: g.healy{at}uq.edu.au

Abstract

OBJECTIVE—We examined the associations of objectively measured sedentary time and physical activity with continuous indexes of metabolic risk in Australian adults without known diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—An accelerometer was used to derive the percentage of monitoring time spent sedentary and in light-intensity and moderate-to-vigorous–intensity activity, as well as mean activity intensity, in 169 Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study (AusDiab) participants (mean age 53.4 years). Associations with waist circumference, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, resting blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, and a clustered metabolic risk score were examined.

RESULTS—Independent of time spent in moderate-to-vigorous–intensity activity, there were significant associations of sedentary time, light-intensity time, and mean activity intensity with waist circumference and clustered metabolic risk. Independent of waist circumference, moderate-to-vigorous–intensity activity time was significantly beneficially associated with triglycerides.

CONCLUSIONS—These findings highlight the importance of decreasing sedentary time, as well as increasing time spent in physical activity, for metabolic health.

Footnotes

  • Published ahead of print at http://care.diabetesjournals.org on 13 November 2007. DOI: 10.2337/dc07-1795.

    The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked “advertisement” in accordance with 18 U.S.C Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.

    • Accepted November 3, 2007.
    • Received September 11, 2007.
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  1. Published online before print November 13, 2007, doi: 10.2337/dc07-1795 Diabetes Care February 2008 vol. 31 no. 2 369-371
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