Sitting Interruption and Whole-body Cardiovascular Health: Linking Physiological Responses to Risk Behaviors
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Summary
There is strong evidence for the association between sedentary behaviors and cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease and stroke. However, the public currently has no clear guidance on how to limit or interrupt their sedentary behaviors. This study will identify and test the physiological effects of several sedentary behavior interruption strategies and explore the feasibility (i.e., likelihood of an individual performing the requested activities) of those strategies to inform the development of public policy surrounding sedentary behavior interruption. Long-term, the findings of this study will inform a large clinical trial that can test whether sedentary behavior reduction can decrease cardiovascular disease risk.
Description
Sedentary behaviors (SB) are biologically distinct but understudied heart disease risk factors. National and international agencies have concluded that the level of evidence for an overall and dose-response association between SB and heart disease mortality is moderate-strong. These agencies do not provide specific recommendations for breaking-up SB, though do call on the research community to facilitate policy development by establishing biological plausibility, identifying the optimal dose for SB substitution strategies, and conducting randomized clinical trials to test the efficacy of these…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 30–60 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: * Aged between 30-60 years * Insufficiently active: self-reported exercise \<90 minutes per week for the past 3 months * Sedentary: self-reported sitting \>8 hours per day * Self-reported ability to walk 4 blocks and climb 2 flights of stairs * Possession of cellular phone able to receive text messages Exclusion Criteria: * Use of assisted-walking devices * Comorbid condition that would limit the ability to reduce sedentary behavior (e.g., musculoskeletal condition, current chemotherapy) * Plans for major surgery within next 3 months * Recent history (\<1 year) of ischem…
Interventions
- BehavioralOne 5-Minute Walking Bout Each Hour
One 5-minute light intensity walking break per hour throughout the 4-hour SB condition
- BehavioralOne 15-Minute Standing Bout Each Hour
One 15-minute standing break per hour throughout the 4-hour SB condition
- BehavioralOne 5-Minute Walking Bout and One 15-Minute Standing Bout Each Hour
Two breaks per hour throughout the 4-hour SB condition, alternating between a 5-minute light intensity walking break and a 15-minute standing break
- BehavioralUninterrupted Sitting
No breaks will be provided throughout the 4-hour SB condition. This will be used as the control condition
Location
- University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel Hill, North Carolina