Association between Sedentary Time and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Korean Adults

Background: Sedentary behavior has been shown to have deleterious effects on cardiovascular outcomes. This study aimed to examine the association between sedentary time and cardiovascular risk factors in Korean adults.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed using data from adults aged 19 years and above in the 2013 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Sedentary time was self-reported and categorized into quintiles. Cardiovascular risk factors, including blood pressure (BP), total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and fasting glucose levels, were categorized into dichotomous variables according to the Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. Multivariate logistic regression was performed with adjustment for various demographic and lifestyle variables, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Complex sampling design was used, and survey weights and sample design variables were applied in analyses.

Results: A total of 3,301 individuals were included in the analyses, and mean sedentary time was 6.1 h/d. Prolonged sedentary time was significantly associated with high diastolic BP (top vs. bottom quintile: adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.71; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09-2.68; P_trend=0.03) and low HDL cholesterol level (top vs. bottom quintile: adjusted OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.02-1.98; P_trend=0.02) after adjustment for BMI, WC, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, and other variables. No significant associations were found between sedentary time and other cardiovascular risk factors.

Conclusion: Prolonged sedentary time was significantly associated with high diastolic BP and low HDL cholesterol level in Korean adults. The associations were independent of general and abdominal obesity and moderate-to-vigorous physical activities.