Skip Navigation
American College of Physicians Logo
  • Subscribe
  • Submit a Manuscript
  • Sign In
    Sign in below to access your subscription for full content
    INDIVIDUAL SIGN IN
    Sign In|Set Up Account
    You will be directed to acponline.org to register and create your Annals account
    INSTITUTIONAL SIGN IN
    Open Athens|Shibboleth|Log In
    Annals of Internal Medicine
    SUBSCRIBE
    Subscribe to Annals of Internal Medicine.
    You will be directed to acponline.org to complete your purchase.
Annals of Internal Medicine Logo Menu
  • Latest
  • Issues
  • Channels
  • CME/MOC
  • In the Clinic
  • Journal Club
  • Web Exclusives
  • Author Info
Advanced Search
  • ‹ PREV ARTICLE
  • This Issue
  • NEXT ARTICLE ›
Summaries for Patients |3 October 2017

Duration of Sedentary Episodes Is Associated With Risk for Death Free

Article, Author, and Disclosure Information
Author, Article, and Disclosure Information
This article was published at Annals.org on 12 September 2017.
  • The full report is titled “Patterns of Sedentary Behavior and Mortality in U.S. Middle-Aged and Older Adults. A National Cohort Study.” The authors are K.M. Diaz, V.J. Howard, B. Hutto, N. Colabianchi, J.E. Vena, M.M. Safford, S.N. Blair, and S.P. Hooker.


Summaries for Patients are a service provided by Annals to help patients better understand the complicated and often mystifying language of modern medicine.
Summaries for Patients are presented for informational purposes only. These summaries are not a substitute for advice from your own medical provider. If you have questions about this material, or need medical advice about your own health or situation, please contact your physician. The summaries may be reproduced for not-for-profit educational purposes only. Any other uses must be approved by the American College of Physicians.
×
  • ‹ PREV ARTICLE
  • This Issue
  • NEXT ARTICLE ›
Jump To
  • Full Article
  • FULL ARTICLE
  • FULL ARTICLE
    • What is the problem and what is known about it so far?
    • Why did the researchers do this particular study?
    • Who was studied?
    • How was the study done?
    • What did the researchers find?
    • What were the limitations of the study?
    • What are the implications of the study?
  • Figures
  • Tables
  • Supplements
  • Audio/Video
  • Summary for Patients
  • Clinical Slide Sets
  • CME / MOC
  • Comments
  • Twitter Link
  • Facebook Link
  • Email Link
More
  • LinkedIn Link

What is the problem and what is known about it so far?

Spending more of our waking hours sedentary (for example, sitting and watching television) is associated with poorer markers of health and higher risk for death than spending more time engaged in physical activity (such as walking or playing sports). However, studies showing this increased risk for death have mostly relied on study participants' memories of how much time they spent sitting rather than on direct measures of that time. In addition, whether it matters if the total sedentary time is accumulated in shorter or longer bouts (that is, sitting for hours at a time without moving) is not known.

Why did the researchers do this particular study?

To assess the association of total sedentary time and longer and shorter bouts of sedentary time with mortality using an objective measurement tool.

Who was studied?

7985 black and white adults aged 45 years or older.

How was the study done?

The study participants were asked to wear devices that measure physical activity (accelerometers) for 7 days. The researchers also collected information on the participants' health-related characteristics, such as whether they smoked and had certain diseases like high blood pressure. They then followed the participants for years to see whether the total amount and patterns of sedentary time differed between those who did and those who did not die.

What did the researchers find?

Participants who spent more of their waking hours sedentary had an increased risk for death during the years of follow-up. In addition, longer bouts of sedentary time were associated with a higher risk for death than were shorter bouts of sedentary time. Shorter bouts of sedentary time (less than 30 minutes) were associated with less of an increase in risk than were longer bouts.

What were the limitations of the study?

The 7-day activity measurements and other health-related variables were collected early in the study and may have changed over the years of follow-up. Also, this study cannot prove that changing one's sedentary time or its pattern will reduce the risk for death.

What are the implications of the study?

The results suggest that spending less of our waking time being sedentary would be beneficial, and although no duration of sedentary time is good for you, shorter bouts seem to be associated with less risk.

Clinical Slide Sets

Terms of Use

The In the Clinic® slide sets are owned and copyrighted by the American College of Physicians (ACP). All text, graphics, trademarks, and other intellectual property incorporated into the slide sets remain the sole and exclusive property of the ACP. The slide sets may be used only by the person who downloads or purchases them and only for the purpose of presenting them during not-for-profit educational activities. Users may incorporate the entire slide set or selected individual slides into their own teaching presentations but may not alter the content of the slides in any way or remove the ACP copyright notice. Users may make print copies for use as hand-outs for the audience the user is personally addressing but may not otherwise reproduce or distribute the slides by any means or media, including but not limited to sending them as e-mail attachments, posting them on Internet or Intranet sites, publishing them in meeting proceedings, or making them available for sale or distribution in any unauthorized form, without the express written permission of the ACP. Unauthorized use of the In the Clinic slide sets will constitute copyright infringement.

This feature is available only to Registered Users

Subscribe/Learn More
Submit a Comment

0 Comments

PDF
Not Available
Citations
Citation

Duration of Sedentary Episodes Is Associated With Risk for Death. Ann Intern Med. 2017;167:I–24. [Epub ahead of print 12 September 2017]. doi: https://doi.org/10.7326/P17-9045

Download citation file:

  • Ris (Zotero)
  • EndNote
  • BibTex
  • Medlars
  • ProCite
  • RefWorks
  • Reference Manager

© 2019

×
Permissions

Published: Ann Intern Med. 2017;167(7):I-24.

DOI: 10.7326/P17-9045

Published at www.annals.org on 12 September 2017

©
2017 American College of Physicians
0 Citations

See Also

Patterns of Sedentary Behavior and Mortality in U.S. Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A National Cohort Study
View MoreView Less

Related Articles

Patterns of Sedentary Behavior and Mortality in U.S. Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A National Cohort Study
Annals of Internal Medicine; 167 (7): 465-475
Tracking Our Physical Inactivity and Progression to Death: Is This Evolutionary Stagnation?
Annals of Internal Medicine; 167 (7): 513-514
Annals for Educators - 3 October 2017
Annals of Internal Medicine; 167 (7): ED7
Sedentary Time and Its Association With Risk for Disease Incidence, Mortality, and Hospitalization in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Annals of Internal Medicine; 162 (2): 123-132
View MoreView Less

Related Topics

Cardiology
Coronary Risk Factors
Hypertension
Nephrology

Cardiology, Coronary Risk Factors, Hypertension, Nephrology.

CME/MOC Activity Requires Users to be Registered and Logged In.
Sign in below to access your subscription for full content
INDIVIDUAL SIGN IN
Sign In|Set Up Account
You will be directed to acponline.org to register and create your Annals account
Annals of Internal Medicine
CREATE YOUR FREE ACCOUNT
Create Your Free Account|Why?
To receive access to the full text of freely available articles, alerts, and more. You will be directed to acponline.org to complete your registration.
×
The Comments Feature Requires Users to be Registered and Logged In.
Sign in below to access your subscription for full content
INDIVIDUAL SIGN IN
Sign In|Set Up Account
You will be directed to acponline.org to register and create your Annals account
Annals of Internal Medicine
CREATE YOUR FREE ACCOUNT
Create Your Free Account|Why?
To receive access to the full text of freely available articles, alerts, and more. You will be directed to acponline.org to complete your registration.
×
link to top

Content

  • Home
  • Latest
  • Issues
  • Channels
  • CME/MOC
  • In the Clinic
  • Journal Club
  • Web Exclusives

Information For

  • Author Info
  • Reviewers
  • Press
  • Readers
  • Institutions / Libraries / Agencies
  • Advertisers

Services

  • Subscribe
  • Renew
  • Alerts
  • Current Issue RSS
  • Latest RSS
  • In the Clinic RSS
  • Reprints & Permissions
  • Contact Us
  • Help
  • About Annals
  • About Mobile
  • Patient Information
  • Teaching Tools
  • Annals in the News
  • Share Your Feedback

Awards and Cover

  • Personae (Cover Photo)
  • Junior Investigator Awards
  • Poetry Prize

Other Resources

  • ACP Online
  • Career Connection
  • ACP Advocate Blog
  • ACP Journal Wise

Follow Annals On

  • Twitter Link
  • Facebook Link
acp link acp
silverchair link silverchair

Copyright © 2019 American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.

Print ISSN: 0003-4819 | Online ISSN: 1539-3704

Privacy Policy

|

Conditions of Use

This site uses cookies. By continuing to use our website, you are agreeing to our privacy policy. | Accept
×

You need a subscription to this content to use this feature.

×
PDF Downloads Require Access to the Full Article.
Sign in below to access your subscription for full content
INDIVIDUAL SIGN IN
Sign In|Set Up Account
You will be directed to acponline.org to register and create your Annals account
INSTITUTIONAL SIGN IN
Open Athens|Shibboleth|Log In
Annals of Internal Medicine
PURCHASE OPTIONS
Buy This Article|Subscribe
You will be redirected to acponline.org to sign-in to Annals to complete your purchase.
CREATE YOUR FREE ACCOUNT
Create Your Free Account|Why?
To receive access to the full text of freely available articles, alerts, and more. You will be directed to acponline.org to complete your registration.
×
Access to this Free Content Requires Users to be Registered and Logged In. Please Choose One of the Following Options
Sign in below to access your subscription for full content
INDIVIDUAL SIGN IN
Sign In|Set Up Account
You will be directed to acponline.org to register and create your Annals account
Annals of Internal Medicine
CREATE YOUR FREE ACCOUNT
Create Your Free Account|Why?
To receive access to the full text of freely available articles, alerts, and more. You will be directed to acponline.org to complete your registration.
×