Patterns of accelerometer-assessed sedentary behavior in older women

摘要

Recent studies suggest a high volume of sedentary behavior may be a risk factor for adverse health outcomes / However, few data exist on how this behavior is patterned (eg, does most sedentary behavior occur in a few long bouts or in many short bouts?) and whether sedentary patterns are relevant for health. We examined details of sedentary behavior among older women. Because physical activity is influenced by age, body mass index (BMI; calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared), and smoking status, we further examined sedentary behavior in relation to these characteristics.Methods | The Women's Health Study is a completed randomized trial (1992-2004) of aspirin and vitamin E for preventing cardiovascular disease and cancer among 39 876 healthy women throughout the United States, with continuing observational follow-up (2004-present).2 An observational ancillary study, begun in 2011, is assessing physical activity using accelerom-eters.