Sedentary Behavior and College Students: Why It Matters Now

A growing body of research demonstrates the accumulation of sedentary behavior and its negative health effects, especially in middle-aged and older adults (Dunstan, Howard, Healy, & Owen, 2012; Owen, Sparling, Healy, Dunstan, & Matthews, 2010; Teychenne, Ball, & Salmon, 2010; Teychenne, Costigan, & Parker, 2015). However, little is known about sedentary time in younger individuals. The primary purpose of this research was to characterize sedentary behavior in college-aged men and women. A secondary purpose was to examine the relationship between sedentary time and physical activity. Participants included full-time students over the age of 18 (N=72). Sedentary behavior was measured by an ActiGraph accelerometer worn during waking hours for one week. On average, subjects spent 72% of the day sedentary (639.76 + 80.09 minutes/day) and accumulated a large portion of this time (72%) on weekdays between 5:00 and 9:00pm. Further, subjects accumulated an average of 52% of their sedentary time in bouts greater than 30 minutes and 25% in bouts greater than 60 minutes. Sedentary time did not differ between individuals who met physical activity recommendations versus those who did not, whereas an inverse correlation was found between sedentary behavior and light intensity activity. Future research should explore the feasibility and outcome of reducing and breaking up sedentary time in this population due to the potential for health benefits