Sedentary Behaviour and Cardiometabolic Health

Sedentary behaviour is defined as waking behaviours characterised by an energy expenditure ≤1.5 metabolic equivalents (METs) while in a sitting, reclining or lying position, and it is distinct from physical inactivity, which is characterised as not meeting the physical activity guidelines.

There is a growing body of evidence that sedentary behaviour is associated with adverse risk factors and diseases, including a higher clustered metabolic risk score (e.g. higher blood pressure, cholesterol, insulin, triglycerides) and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Nonetheless, there is still debate if high levels of physical activity can attenuate the health risks of high volume of sedentary behaviour, suggesting that public health guidelines should target both. Although national and global physical activity guidelines recommend that individuals of all ages should "minimise" sedentary time, there is still insufficient evidence to describe the dose-response relationships between sedentary behaviour and cardiometabolic outcomes. Studies are needed to explore the role of interrupting or breaking sedentary behaviour and the impact on cardiometabolic markers. More data is also required on the cardiometabolic health effects of displacing sedentary behaviour to more active pursuits. Finally, knowledge is needed to determine the association between domain-specific sedentary behaviour, including reading, studying, and screen-based activities, particularly the newer forms of interactive technology (e.g. use of smartphones, tablets) and the impact on cardiometabolic markers.

The goal of this Research Topic is to highlight new findings on the relationship between sedentary behaviour and cardiometabolic outcomes with the aim of reducing the gap in knowledge on how sedentary behaviour impacts cardiometabolic outcomes. We also aim to disseminate work exploring the effect of sedentary behaviour interventions on cardiometabolic markers. Research in clinical and non-clinical populations focusing on preventing or treating cardiometabolic diseases is welcome. We also look for human and animal studies exploring the underpinning mechanisms of sedentary behaviour and cardiometabolic outcomes. Together, with systematic reviews which synthesize evidence of sedentary behaviour and cardiometabolic markers. We are particularly interested in some questions raised by the 2020 WHO physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines to advance the global physical activity agenda. These include the dose-response relationship between sedentary time and cardiometabolic outcomes and the effect of breaking up sedentary time and different types of sedentary behaviour (e.g. occupational, study and screen time) on cardiometabolic outcomes.

The following sub-topics are of particular interest for this collection:
1) Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between sedentary behaviour and cardiometabolic outcomes in healthy individuals and clinical populations.
2) Interventions targeting sedentary behaviour and examining the effect of cardiometabolic outcomes.
3) Associations or interventions targeting breaks in sedentary time and cardiometabolic outcomes.
4) Combination of sedentary behaviour and physical activity and association with cardiometabolic risk factors.
5) Effect of different types/domains of sedentary behaviour on cardiometabolic markers.
6) Effect of replacement of sedentary behaviour with light, moderate or vigorous physical activity on cardiometabolic markers.
7) Dose-response relation between sedentary behaviour and cardiometabolic outcomes.
8) Mechanisms of sedentary behaviour and cardiometabolic health.
9) Determinants of sedentary behaviour in individuals with cardiovascular disease.