Can the Epidemiologist Learn more from Sedentary Behaviour than from the Measurement of Physical Activity?

Abstract

Recent research suggests that there are biological mechanisms provoked by sedentary behaviours that result in health consequences even after accounting for the influence of an individual's habitual physical activity. Objective monitors, like accelerometers and inclinometers, allow for the direct measurement of the time spent sedentary in addition to monitoring the extent of physical activity. This allows for epidemiological analyses considering either behaviour or both behaviours in combination. The relatively new field of sedentary physiology and epidemiology allows for creative exploration of correlates, determinants, and consequences of varying levels of sedentary behaviour that can inform novel interventions to promote healthy living.