SEDENTARY BEHAVIOR, CENTRAL OBESITY AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RISK FACTORS IN YOUNG WOMEN

A.N. Green, D.R. Paul, R.P. McGrath, V. Martinez, K. Taylor, & C.A. Vella. University of Idaho, Moscow, ID. Recent data suggest nearly a 2-fold increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity as women age from adolescence to young adulthood, such that 56% of young women are overweight or obese. Concurrent with this rise in obesity is an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The reasons for the increased risk of CVD are unknown but may be related to the time spent in sedentary behaviors and the development of central obesity. PURPOSE: To investigate the associations between sedentary behaviors and central obesity, and the individual CVD risk factors in young women. We also investigated whether these associations were independent of body composition. METHODS: 38 women (mean ± SD: age 24.4 ± 5.0 y; BMI 26.3 ± 5.3 kg·m2; body fat 32.1 ± 7.2%) participated in the study. CVD risk factors measured were fasting glucose, triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein, low density lipoprotein, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Body composition and central obesity were estimated by BodPod and waist circumference, respectively. Sedentary behavior, measured by 7 days of accelerometer wear, was defined as /min and data were analyzed as mean min/day. Simple and multiple regression analyses were used to assess associations between variables. Regression models were adjusted for body composition by including body fat mass and fat free mass as covariates. Alpha level was set at 0.05. RESULTS: Time spent in sedentary behaviors averaged 1037.3 ± 92.7 min/day and waist circumference averaged 88.6 ± 10.8 cm. Time spent in sedentary behaviors was positively and significantly related to TG (r = 0.418, p = 0.009) and this relationship was independent of body composition (Beta = 0.362, p = 0.036). Time spent in sedentary behaviors was not related to other CVD risk factors (p \u3e 0.05). Waist circumference was positively and significantly related to TG (r = 0.392, p = 0.015) and glucose (r = 0.323, p = 0.048) but these relationships were not independent of body composition (p \u3e 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Sedentary behavior and central obesity were associated with individual CVD risk factors in young women. These findings have important implications for CVD prevention programs for young women and suggest that public health guidelines with regards to minimizing sedentary behaviors are warranted. Supported by University of Idaho Seed Grant Progra