Objective assessment of time spent being sedentary in bariatric surgery candidates

Abstract

Background: Bariatric surgery candidates spend very little time in moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (≥ 3 metabolic equivalents [METs]). This study examined (1) how much of their remaining time is spent in sedentary behaviors (SB < 1.5 METs) compared to light-intensity activities (1.5–2.9 METs) and (2) whether sedentary time varies by BMI.

Methods: Daily time (hours, %) spent in SB was examined in 42 surgery candidates (BMI = 49.5 ± 7.9 kg/m2) using the SenseWear Pro2 Armband. Participants were stratified by BMI to assess the relationship between degree of obesity and SB.

Results: Participants wore the armband for 5.4 ± 0.7 days and 13.3 ± 1.7 h/day. On average, 81.4% (10.9 ± 2.1 h/day)of this time was spent in SB. Participants with BMI ≥ 50 spent nearly an hour more per day in SB than those with BMI 35–49.9 (p = 0.01).

Conclusions: Bariatric surgery candidates spend over 80%of their time in SB. Reducing SB may help to increase physical activity in these patients.