Sedentary Behaviors and Health Outcomes Among Adults: A Systematic Review of Prospective Studies

ContextNowadays, people spend a substantial amount of time per day on sedentary behaviors and it is likely that the time spent sedentary will continue to rise. To date, there is no review of prospective studies that systematically examined the relationship between diverse sedentary behaviors and various health outcomes among adults.PurposeThis review aimed to systematically review the literature as to the relationship between sedentary behaviors and health outcomes considering the methodologic quality of the studies.Evidence acquisitionIn February 2010, a search for prospective studies was performed in diverse electronic databases. After inclusion, in 2010, the methodologic quality of each study was assessed. A best-evidence synthesis was applied to draw conclusions.Evidence synthesis19 studies were included, of which 14 were of high methodologic quality. Based on inconsistency in findings among the studies and lack of high-quality prospective studies, insufficient evidence was concluded for body weight–related measures, CVD risk, and endometrial cancer. Further, moderate evidence for a positive relationship between the time spent sitting and the risk for type 2 diabetes was concluded. Based on three high-quality studies, there was no evidence for a relationship between sedentary behavior and mortality from cancer, but strong evidence for all-cause and CVD mortality.ConclusionsGiven the trend toward increased time in sedentary behaviors, additional prospective studies of high methodologic quality are recommended to clarify the causal relationships between sedentary behavior and health outcomes. Meanwhile, evidence to date suggests that interventions aimed at reducing sedentary behavior are needed.