Abstract
BackgroundData suggest that sedentary behavior is an independent risk factor for obesity; however, the extent to which physical activity (PA) and sex alter this relationship remains unclear. To address this gap, the current study examined the association between television (TV) viewing time and percent body fat (%BF) as a function of PA level and sex.MethodsTrained interviewers assessed 454 adults at their place of residence. Participants completed questionnaires to determine h of TV watched per week, PA level (inactive = not meeting PA guidelines vs. active = meeting PA guideline), and covariates including demographics (e.g., sex), depression symptoms, perceived stress, fruit and vegetable intake, and environmental support for PA. Foot-to-foot bioelectrical impedance (Tanita TBF-300, Tokyo, Japan) was used to assess %BF. Mixed models were generated to examine the association between TV h/wk. and %BF as a function of PA level and sex while accounting for the multi-level nature of the data (neighborhood- and individual-levels) and covariates.ResultsParticipants were 44.4 ± 14.0 (Mean + Standard Deviation) years of age with 33.2 ± 11.1%BF, and watched 19.3 ± 15.5 h/wk. of TV. Most were female (70.9%) and inactive (63.2%). Mixed model regression demonstrated that among inactive participants, each additional h of TV viewed/wk. was associated with a 1.03% increase in %BF; TV h/wk. and %BF were not associated in active adults. When models were further stratified by sex, h of TV viewed/wk. were significantly associated with %BF only in inactive females. Each additional h of TV viewed/wk. was associated with an increase in %BF of 1.14%. Conclusion: Interventions targeting PA and/or TV viewing time may be a high-priority to curb excess BF accumulation especially among inactive females.
Highlights
Data suggest that sedentary behavior is an independent risk factor for obesity; the extent to which physical activity (PA) and sex alter this relationship remains unclear
Given the sex differences in both PA, and sedentary behavior, it is plausible that the interactive relationship between PA and sedentary behavior on obesity markers may vary by sex [21, 22]. To address these knowledge gaps regarding sedentary behavior’s role in the obesity epidemic and how PA and sex may alter this role, we investigated the association between sedentary time expressed as hours of TV viewed per week and percent body fat (%BF) and the influence of PA and sex on this association in a diverse sample of adults
Relationships between study variables and %BF Hours of TV viewed per week (r = .17) were positively correlated with %BF, while meeting PA guidelines (r = −.17), and male (r = −.40) were negatively related to %BF
Summary
Data suggest that sedentary behavior is an independent risk factor for obesity; the extent to which physical activity (PA) and sex alter this relationship remains unclear To address this gap, the current study examined the association between television (TV) viewing time and percent body fat (%BF) as a function of PA level and sex. The prevalence of obesity varies by race/ethnicity and age with significantly higher rates seen among non-Hispanic Black (46.8%) and Hispanic (47.0%) versus non-Hispanic white adults (37.9%), as well as in men and women aged 40– 59 (40.8 and 44.7%, respectively) versus 20–39 years (34.8 and 36.5%, respectively) [2] Demographic transitions, such as an increasing proportion of the population being older, suggests that the population burden of Sedentary behavior is defined as any waking behavior characterized by an energy expenditure ≤1.5 metabolic equivalents, while in a sitting, reclining or lying posture [6]. As such, decreasing sedentary time is an important behavioral target for reducing disease risk in these population subgroups as well as the general population [9]
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