Screen-based Sedentary Activities Research Articles

Associations of screen-based sedentary activities with all cause dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia: a longitudinal study based on 462,524 participants from the UK Biobank

BackgroundCurrent drug treatments for dementia aren't effective. Studying gene-environment interactions can help develop personalized early intervention strategies for Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, no studies have examined the relationship between screen-based sedentary activities and genetic susceptibility to AD risk, and further understanding of the causal relationship is also crucial.MethodsThis study included 462,524 participants from the UK Biobank with a follow-up of 13.6 years. Participants' screen-based sedentary activities time was categorized into three groups based on recorded time: ≥ 4 h/day, 2–3 h/day, and ≤ 1 h/day. Cox proportional risk models were used to analyze the association between computer use/TV viewing groups and the risk of all-cause dementia, AD and vascular dementia (VD). Generalized linear model (GLM) were used to examine the relationship between screen-based sedentary activities and brain structure. Bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) was used to validate the causal relationship between TV viewing and AD.ResultsCompared to TV viewing ≤ 1 h/day, 1)TV viewing 2–3 h/day was correlated with a higher risk of all-cause dementia (HR = 1.09, 95% CI:1.01–1.18, P < 0.05), and TV viewing ≥ 4 h/day was associated with a higher risk of all-cause dementia (HR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.19–1.40, P < 0.001), AD (HR = 1.25, 95% CI:1.1–1.42, P < 0.001), and VD (HR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.04–1.49, P < 0.05); 2) TV viewing ≥ 4 h/day was correlated with a higher AD risk at intermediate (HR = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.03–1.75, P < 0.001) and high AD genetic risk score (AD-GRS) (HR = 2.18, 95% CI: 1.65–2.87, P < 0.001);3) TV viewing 2–3 h/day [β = (-94.8), 95% CI: (-37.9) -(-151.7), P < 0.01] and TV viewing ≥ 4 h/day [β = (-92.94), 95% CI: (-17.42) -(-168.46), P < 0.05] were correlated with a less hippocampus volume. In addition, a causal effect of TV viewing times was observed on AD analyzed using MR Egger (OR = 5.618, 95%CI:1.502–21.013, P < 0.05).ConclusionsThere was a causal effect between TV viewing time and AD analyzed using bidirectional MR, and more TV viewing time exposure was correlated with a higher AD risk. Therefore, it is recommended that people with intermediate and high AD-GRS should control their TV viewing time to be less than 4 h/ day or even less than 1 h/day.

Leisure-Time Television Viewing and Computer Use, Family History, and Incidence of Dementia

Introduction: Time spent on screen-based sedentary activities is significantly associated with dementia risk, however, whether the associations vary by family history (FHx) of dementia is currently unknown. We aimed to examine independent associations of two prevalent types of screen-based sedentary activities (television [TV] viewing and computer use) with dementia and assess the modifying effect of FHx. Methods: We included 415,048 individuals free of dementia from the UK Biobank. Associations of TV viewing, computer use, and FHx with dementia risk were determined using Cox regression models. We estimated both multiplicative- and additive-scale interactions between TV viewing and computer use and FHx. Results: During a median follow-up of 12.6 years, 5,549 participants developed dementia. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, we observed that moderate (2–3 h/day; hazard ratio [HR] 1.13, 95% confidence interval 0.03–1.23) and high (>3 h/day; 1.33, 1.21–1.46) TV viewing was associated with a higher dementia risk, compared with low (0–1 h/day) TV viewing. Using restricted cubic spline models, the relationship of TV viewing with dementia was nonlinear (relative to 0 h/day; p for nonlinear = 0.005). We found that >3 h/day of TV viewing was associated with a 42% (1.42, 1.18–1.71) higher dementia risk in participants with FHx while a 30% (1.30, 1.17–1.45) in those without FHx. For computer use, both low (0 h/day; 1.41, 1.33–1.50) and high (>2 h/day; 1.17, 1.05–1.29) computer use were associated with elevated dementia risk, compared with moderate (1–2 h/day) computer use. We observed a J-shaped relationship with dementia (relative to 2 h/day; p for nonlinear <0.001). Compared with 1–2 h/day of computer use, the HRs of dementia were 1.46 (1.29–1.65) and 1.10 (0.90–1.36) for 0 h/day and >2 h/day of computer use in participants with FHx, respectively, while the corresponding HRs were 1.40 (1.30–1.50) and 1.19 (1.06–1.33) in those without FHx. We observed a positive additive interaction (RERI 0.29, 0.06–0.53) between computer use and FHx, while little evidence of interaction between TV viewing and FHx. Conclusions: The time spent on TV viewing and computer use were independent risk factors for dementia, and the adverse effects of computer use and FHx were additive. Our findings point to new behavioral targets for intervention on preventing an early onset of dementia, especially for those with FHx.

The influence of active video game play upon physical activity and screen-based activities in sedentary children.

BackgroundFew children meet physical activity recommendations, partly due to the prevalence of screen-based sedentary activities. Active video game (AVG) play produces light to moderate physical activity. Yet, providing children access to AVG does not increase physical activity, possibly because children who play AVG may also tend towards sedentary screen-based activities. How multiple days of AVG play influences children’s choice of other activities is not yet known.PurposeTo examine how AVG influences children’s physical activity, sedentary screen-based activities, and other alternative activities.MethodsSedentary children (N = 49) played AVG 3 times/week and sedentary video games (SVG) ad libitum for 6 weeks, followed by 4 weeks of ad libitum play of both AVG and SVG. Participants wore an activity monitor for 7 days and completed a 24-hour activity recall on 4 randomly selected days at baseline, week 6, and week 10.ResultsAVG play increased during the intervention (p < 0.01). Light activity and SVG play both decreased baseline to 10 weeks (p = 0.006) and 6 to 10 weeks (p = 0.017). Non-SVG sedentary behavior increased from baseline to 10 weeks (p = 0.005) and 6 to 10 weeks (p = 0.007). Changes over time were not observed in physical activity, or recall-measured active play, social activities, other hobbies, television or computer/phone use.ConclusionAVG play did not change children’s objectively-measured physical activity or subjectively measured active play. SVG time was substituted with other sedentary behaviors. AVG did not increase time engaged in SVG or screen-based devices.

Screen-based sedentary behaviours in Italian school children: the ZOOM8 study

Background: screen-based sedentary behaviours likely have a negative impact on many aspects of youth health and development. The purpose of this study was to describe the screen-based sedentary behaviours and to examine factors associated in a sample of Italian school children.&#x0D; Methods: 2129 children, aged 8-9 years, from the three main geographical areas of Italy were involved. Body weight and height were measured. Screen-based sedentary behaviours were evaluated using a parent-reported questionnaire that included items about the time spent watching television (TV) and using computer/playstation and other electronic games. Pearson’s chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were conducted to study possible associated factors.&#x0D; Results: more time was spent in screen-based sedentary activities during non-school days rather than on school days. More males than females watched television more than the recommended 2 hours a day and spent the same time using computer (PC), playstation and other electronic games. The presence of a TV in the child’s bedroom was significantly associated with geographical area, and inversely associated with mother’s education. Moreover, children with a TV in the bedroom had higher odds of being overweight/obese and watching TV more than 2 hours a day than those without a TV. According to multiple logistic regression gender, mother’s age and mother’s education were predictors of the total screen time.&#x0D; Conclusions: Italian children spent a significant amount of time in screen-based sedentary behaviours, exceeding media recommendations. In addition gender, mother’s age and mother’s education were predictors of the total screen time.

Genetic susceptibility, screen-based sedentary activities and incidence of coronary heart disease

BackgroundWhether the associations of time spent in screen-based sedentary activities with CHD vary by genetic susceptibility is currently unknown. The objective of this study was to examine the interplay of genetic susceptibility to CHD and two prevalent types of screen-based sedentary activities (television [TV] viewing and computer use) for CHD incidence.MethodsThis prospective cohort study included 373,026 individuals of European ancestry without prevalent CHD/stroke from UK Biobank data. Genetic susceptibility to CHD was assessed using weighted polygenic risk scores, calculated by summing the number of risk-increasing alleles among 300 single-nucleotide polymorphisms, multiplied by their corresponding effect estimates. TV viewing and computer use were assessed through touch-screen questionnaires. CHD incidence (n=9185) was adjudicated over a median 12.6-year follow-up.ResultsCompared with ≥4h/day of TV viewing, the hazard ratio of CHD was 0.84 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.79–0.90) and 0.94 (0.90–0.99) for ≤1h/day and 2–3h/day of TV viewing, respectively, after adjusting for confounders including the genetic risk. CHD hazards were higher for medium and high genetic risk than for low genetic risk. Across all levels of genetic risk including high-genetic risk, ≤1h/day of TV viewing had lower CHD hazards, compared with ≥4h/day: no evidence of interaction between genetic risk and TV viewing (p value: 0.362). Estimates of the population attributable fraction (PAF) suggested that 10.9% (95% CI 6.1–15.3%) of CHD could be prevented if TV viewing time were reduced to ≤1h/day, assuming causality. The PAF values were relatively larger for medium-to-high genetic risk than for low genetic risk, although the CIs were wide and overlapping. No associations were observed for computer use.ConclusionsLess TV viewing time was associated with lower CHD risk independently of genetic risk. Clinical trials targeted at individuals with high genetic susceptibility should consider reducing TV viewing as as a behavioural target for prevention of an early onset of cardiovascular events.

Relationship of sleep quality with screen-based sedentary time and physical activity in adolescents - the moderating effect of body mass index.

To analyze the association of sleep quality with reported screen-based sedentary time and reported physical activity, among overweight adolescents. Adolescents aged 10 to 17years enrolled in public and private schools were included. Data collection was carried out during the school semesters of 2014-2015 and participants who did not participate in all evaluations were excluded. Sleep quality and physical activity were assessed by validated questionnaires. Screen-based sedentary time was assessed by self-reported mean daily hours spent on television, computer, smartphone/tablet, and videogames. Body mass index was objectively measured and adolescents were classified into normal weight and overweight according to cutoff points for age and sex. Multiple linear regression models adjusted by covariates (age, sex, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status) were used to analyze the relationship between variables. A total of 1008 adolescents were assessed, with a mean age of 13.2 ± 2.4years and a mean body mass index of 20.4 ± 4.3kg/m2. Overweight was observed in 28.0% of sample, while 53.0% reported non-white ethnicity. Self-reported screen-based sedentary time was significantly related to poor sleep quality in adolescents (β = 0.116, p = 0.005), remaining significant only in those who were normal weight (β = 0.101, p = 0.007) in sensitivity analysis. Self-reported physical activity showed no relationship with sleep quality in both normal weight and overweight adolescents. Self-reported screen-based sedentary time was associated with poor sleep quality in adolescents, mainly among those with normal weight. The time spent on screen-based sedentary activities can impair sleep quality even in normal weight adolescents.

Agreement between parents’ proxy reports and children’s self-reports of physical activity and sedentary behavior in children aged 7 – 10 years in Vojvodina

Introduction. The aim of this study was to determine the agreement between parents? and children?s reports of children?s physical activity and screen-based sedentary activities. Material and Methods. The sample included 7 - 10 year-old children (n = 94) and their parents (n = 94) in a local community in Vojvodina. Parents and children separately completed question?naires about the types of physical and sedentary activities and the time children spent in different activities during one day. The agreement between children?s and parents? responses was calculated using Cohen?s kappa. The differences in parents? and children?s responses in relation to gender and grade the students attended were analyzed using ?2 test. P-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results. The highest level of agreement (? = 0.74; p = 0.00) was found for the questions concerning physical activity in the morning before going to school. The lowest level of agreement was found for watching TV in the morning before going to school (? = 0.21; p = 0.04). Children reported spending more time in screen-based sedentary activities than their parents. Conclusion. This research showed that there are differences in reports of children?s physical activities and screen time obtained from children aged 7 to 10 years and their parents. The lowest level of agreement was found for watching television, indicating low level of awareness and control of this screen-based sedentary behavior.

Do Young People Ever Sit Still? Variations in Accelerometer Counts, Muscle Activity and Heart Rate across Various Sedentary Activities in Youth.

Evidence of adverse health effects of TV viewing is stronger than for overall sedentary behaviour in youth. One explanation may be that TV viewing involves less body movement than other sedentary activities. Variations in body movement across sedentary activities are currently unknown, as are age differences in such variations. This study examined body movement differences across various sedentary activities in children and adolescents, assessed by hip-, thigh- and wrist-worn accelerometers, muscle activity and heart rate. Body movement differences between sedentary activities and standing were also examined. Fifty-three children (aged 10–12 years) and 37 adolescents (aged 16–18 years) performed seven different sedentary activities, a standing activity, and a dancing activity (as a control activity) in a controlled setting. Each activity lasted 10 minutes. Participants wore an Actigraph on their hip and both wrists, an activPAL on their thigh and a heart rate monitor. The muscle activity of weight-bearing leg muscles was measured in a subgroup (n = 38) by surface electromyography. Variations in body movement across activities were examined using general estimation equations analysis. Children showed significantly more body movement during sedentary activities and standing than adolescents. In both age groups, screen-based sedentary activities involved less body movement than non-screen-based sedentary activities. This may explain the stronger evidence for detrimental health effects of TV viewing while evidence for child sedentary behaviour in general is inconsistent. Differences in body movement during standing and sedentary activities were relatively small. Future research should examine the potential health effects of differences in body movement between screen-based versus non-screen based and standing versus sedentary activities.

Discussion of “Influence of netball-based exercise on energy intake, subjective appetite and plasma acylated ghrelin in adolescent girls”

Rumbold and colleagues recently published an innovative and interesting paper addressing the energy intake, subjective appetite, and acylated ghrelin response to a netball-based exercise session in lean adolescent girls (Rumbold et al. 2013). This paper deals with one of their previous publications (Rumbold et al. 2011) and adds some interesting results to the current literature in the field. However, some issues warrant discussion. Rumbold et al. (2013) showed that energy intake of the adolescents at the test meal following the exercise session (lunch time) was not affected compared with the control, sedentary session (Rumbold et al. 2013). First, it needs to be noticed that the authors offered a test meal that was composed only of white pasta in a tomato andherb saucewith gratedmild cheddar cheese. Although this is in line with their previous work, the adolescents were not offered to choose among several items (e.g., buffet-style meal), which limits the ability of the authors to quantitatively analyze energy intake in this sample (Thivel et al. 2012a). Moreover, the authors indicated that the adolescents participated in sedentary activities during the control session and were free to engage in sedentary activities such as reading, watching TV, or completing school work for an hour between the netball-based exercise session and the test meal. Regarding the current literature on the impact of daily activities on subsequent energy intake, it can be argued that the assessed energy intake at lunch time was more affected by those sedentary activities than by the netball session itself. Previous studies have effectively emphasized the stimulating influence of screen-based sedentary activities such as watching television or playing video games on subsequent food intake in children and adolescents (Thivel et al. 2012c). For instance, Nemet and collaborators have observed a higher food consumption after 45 min of TV viewing compared with 45 min of physical activity (swimming or resistance training) in prepubertal kids (Nemet et al. 2010). Similarly, a 1-h passive video game session has been shown to favor increased energy intake in lean adolescent boys without altering appetite sensations comparedwith 1 h of rest (Chaput et al. 2011). Along the same lines, cognitiveworking such as reading andwritinghas been shown to increase foodconsumption in students (Chaput et al. 2008;Chaput and Tremblay 2007). Finally, recent data point out that imposed sedentary behaviors (e.g., prolonged sitting or bed rest) have the opposite effect on energy intake compared with exercise in adolescents (Thivel et al. 2012b); bed rest has been shown to have an orexigenic effect,whereas acute exercise favors reduced energy consumption in adolescents (Thivel et al. 2012b). Collectively, the paper by Rumbold et al. provides interesting new results to the field but also highlights the need for rigorous methodologies (controlling for the influence of screen-based sedentary behaviors on food intake) to ensure valid conclusions. The use of sedentary or imposed sedentary activities as control sessions is an important issue and (or) problem to consider in future studies if we want to avoid the confounding effect of these activities on eating behavior.

It's not just the television: survey analysis of sedentary behaviour in New Zealand young people.

BackgroundSedentary behaviour has been linked with adverse health outcomes in young people; however, the nature and context of being sedentary is poorly understood. Accurate quantification and description of sedentary behaviour using population-level data is required. The aim of this research was to describe sedentary behaviour among New Zealand (NZ) youth and examine whether sedentary behaviour differs by Body Mass Index (BMI) status in this population.MethodsA national representative cross-sectional survey of young people aged 5-24 years (n = 2,503) was conducted in 2008-2009. Data from this survey, which included subjectively (recall diary; n = 1,309) and objectively (accelerometry; n = 960) measured sedentary behaviour for participants aged 10-18 years were analysed using survey weighted methods.ResultsParticipants self-reported spending on average 521 minutes per day (standard error [SE] 5.29) in total sedentary behaviour, 181 minutes per day (SE 3.91) in screen-based sedentary activities (e.g., television and video games), and 340 minutes per day (SE 5.22) in other non-screen sedentary behaviours (e.g., school, passive transport and self-care). Accelerometer-measured total sedentary behaviour was on average 420 minutes per day (SE 4.26), or 53% (SE 0.42%) of monitored time. There were no statistically significant differences in time spent in sedentary behaviour among overweight, obese and healthy/underweight young people.ConclusionsBoth subjective and objective methods indicate that NZ youth spend much of their waking time being sedentary. No relationships were found between sedentary behaviour and BMI status. These findings extend previous research by describing engagement in specific sedentary activities, as well as quantifying the behaviour using an objective method. Differences in what aspects of sedentary behaviour the two methods are capturing are discussed. This research highlights the potential for future interventions to target specific sedentary behaviours or demographic groups.