Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jan;34(1):e23546.
doi: 10.1002/ajhb.23546. Epub 2020 Dec 5.

Objective and subjective measurement of sedentary behavior in human adults: A toolkit

Justin Aunger  1 , Janelle Wagnild  2
Affiliations

Objective and subjective measurement of sedentary behavior in human adults: A toolkit

Justin Aunger et al. Am J Hum Biol. 2022 Jan.

Abstract

Objectives: Objectives: Human biologists are increasingly interested in measuring and comparing physical activities in different societies. Sedentary behavior, which refers to time spent sitting or lying down while awake, is a large component of daily 24 hours movement patterns in humans and has been linked to poor health outcomes such as risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, independently of physical activity. As such, it is important for researchers, with the aim of measuring human movement patterns, to most effectively use resources available to them to capture sedentary behavior.

Methods: This toolkit outlines objective (device-based) and subjective (self-report) methods for measuring sedentary behavior in free-living contexts, the benefits and drawbacks to each, as well as novel options for combined use to maximize scientific rigor. Throughout this toolkit, emphasis is placed on considerations for the use of these methods in various field conditions and in varying cultural contexts.

Results: Objective measures such as inclinometers are the gold-standard for measuring total sedentary time but they typically cannot capture contextual information or determine which specific behaviors are taking place. Subjective measures such as questionnaires and 24 hours-recall methods can provide measurements of time spent in specific sedentary behaviors but are subject to measurement error and response bias.

Conclusions: We recommend that researchers use the method(s) that suit the research question; inclinometers are recommended for the measurement of total sedentary time, while self-report methods are recommended for measuring time spent in particular contexts of sedentary behavior.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
The activPAL v1 affixed to a participant's thigh using the 24‐hour waterproof attachment method
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Atkin, A. J. , Gorely, T. , Clemes, S. A. , Yates, T. , Edwardson, C. , Brage, S. , … Biddle, S. J. (2012). Methods of measurement in epidemiology: Sedentary behaviour. International Journal of Epidemiology, 41(5), 1460–1471. 10.1093/ije/dys118 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Aunger, J. A. , Doody, P. , & Greig, C. A. (2018). Interventions targeting sedentary behavior in non‐working older adults: A systematic review. Maturitas, 116, 89–99. 10.1016/j.maturitas.2018.08.002 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Aunger, J. A. , Greaves, C. J. , Davis, E. T. , Asamane, E. A. , Whittaker, A. C. , & Greig, C. A. (2020). A novel behavioural INTErvention to REduce Sitting Time in older adults undergoing orthopaedic surgery (INTEREST): Results of a randomised‐controlled feasibility study. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research, 32, 2565–2585. 10.1007/s40520-020-01475-6 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Aunger, J. A. , Greaves, C. J. , Davis, E. T. , & Greig, C. A. (2019). A novel behavioural INTErvention to REduce Sitting Time in older adults undergoing orthopaedic surgery (INTEREST): Protocol for a randomised controlled feasibility study. Pilot and Feasibility Studies, 5, 54. 10.1186/s40814-019-0437-2 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bakker, E. A. , Hartman, Y. A. W. , Hopman, M. T. E. , Hopkins, N. D. , Graves, L. E. F. , Dunstan, D. W. , … Thijssen, D. H. J. (2020). Validity and reliability of subjective methods to assess sedentary behaviour in adults: A systematic review and meta‐analysis. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 17(1), 75. 10.1186/s12966-020-00972-1 - DOI - PMC - PubMed