Sedentary behavior and medical multimorbidity

Abstract

Emerging research demonstrates that sedentary behavior is associated with various individual chronic conditions, independent of physical activity. Despite multimorbidity (having at least 2 chronic diseases) being highly prevalent (≥23% of adults) and associating with premature mortality, limited research has examined the association between sedentary behavior and multimorbidity, which was the purpose of this research letter. Data from the 2005–2006 NHANES were used (analyzed in 2015). A multimorbidity index variable was created indicating the number of 14 morbidities each patient had; sedentary behavior and physical activity were assessed via accelerometry. For every 60min/day increase in sedentary behavior, participants had a higher multimorbidity index (βadjusted=0.08; 95% CI: 0.04–0.11, p<0.001) and had an 11% (ORadjusted=1.11; 95% CI: 1.01–1.21; p=0.03) increased odds of being multimorbid (i.e., having ≥2 morbidities). Sedentary behavior is associated with multimorbidity (independent of light-intensity physical activity and adherence to moderate-to-vigorous physical activity guidelines), which underscores the importance of minimizing prolonged sedentary behavior (in addition to promoting physical activity) among adults.