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. 2024 Jul 3;21(1):68.
doi: 10.1186/s12966-024-01615-5.

Device-measured sedentary time and intensity-specific physical activity in relation to all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality: the UK Biobank cohort study

Leandro F M Rezende  1   2 , Matthew Ahmadi  3   4 , Gerson Ferrari  5 , Borja Del Pozo Cruz  6   7   8 , I-Min Lee  9   10 , Ulf Ekelund  11   12 , Emmanuel Stamatakis  13   14
Affiliations

Device-measured sedentary time and intensity-specific physical activity in relation to all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality: the UK Biobank cohort study

Leandro F M Rezende et al. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. .

Abstract

Background and aims: Understanding the amounts of intensity-specific movement needed to attenuate the association between sedentary time and mortality may help to inform personalized prescription and behavioral counselling. Herein, we examined the joint associations of sedentary time and intensity-specific physical activity with all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality.

Methods: Prospective cohort study including 73,729 adults from the UK Biobank who wore an Axivity AX3 accelerometer on their dominant wrist for at least 3 days, being one a weekend day, between June 2013 and December 2015. We considered the median tertile values of sedentary time and physical activity in each intensity band to determine the amount of physical activity needed to attenuate the association between sedentary time and mortality.

Results: During a median of 6.9 years of follow-up (628,807 person-years), we documented 1521 deaths, including 388 from CVD. Physical activity of any intensity attenuated the detrimental association of sedentary time with mortality. Overall, at least a median of 6 min/day of vigorous physical activity, 30 min/day of MVPA, 64 min/day of moderate physical activity, or 163 min/day of light physical activity (mutually-adjusted for other intensities) attenuated the association between sedentary time and mortality. High sedentary time was associated with higher risk of CVD mortality only among participants with low MVPA (HR 1.96; 95% CI 1.23 to 3.14).

Conclusions: Different amounts of each physical activity intensity may attenuate the association between high sedentary time and mortality.

Keywords: Accelerometer; All-cause mortality; Cardiovascular disease mortality; Physical activity; Sedentary behaviour.

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Conflict of interest statement

ES is a paid consultant and holds equity in Complement Theory Inc, a US-based startup whose products and services relate to physical activity. All other authors disclose no conflict of interest for this work.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Joint associations of device-measured sedentary time and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity with all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality. Footnote: Tertiles were used to categorize low (3.1 to 10.1 h/day), medium (10.2 to 11.3 h/day) and high (≥ 11.3 h/day) sedentary time; and MVPA (0–21 min/day; 21–41 min/day; >41 min/day). The median value of MVPA time in each tertile were: low: 13.5 min/day; medium: 30.0 min/day; high: 59.3 min/day
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Joint associations of device-measured sedentary time and moderate physical activity with all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality. Footnote: Tertiles were used to categorize low (3.1 to 10.1 h/day), medium (10.2 to 11.3 h/day) and high (≥ 11.3 h/day) sedentary time; and MPA (< 19 min/day; 19–36.8 min/day; >36.8 min/day). The median value of MPA time in each tertile were: low: 54.1 min/day; medium: 90.4 min/day; high: 162.7 min/day
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Joint associations of device-measured sedentary time and vigorous physical activity with all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality. Footnote: Tertiles were used to categorize low (3.1 to 10.1 h/day), medium (10.2 to 11.3 h/day) and high (≥ 11.3 h/day) sedentary time; and VPA (< 1 min/day; 1–3 min/day; >3 min/day). The median value of VPA time in each tertile were: low: 0.5 min/day; medium: 1.7 min/day; high: 5.5 min/day
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Joint associations of device-measured sedentary time and light physical activity with all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality. Footnote: Tertiles were used to categorize low (3.1 to 10.1 h/day), medium (10.2 to 11.3 h/day) and high (≥ 11.3 h/day) sedentary time; and LPA (< 70 min/day; 70–119 min/day; >119 min/day). The median value of LPA time in each tertile were: low: low: 54.1 min/day; medium: 90.4 min/day; high: 162.7 min/day
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