The Effect of Sedentary Behaviour on Cardiorespiratory Fitness: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Stephanie A Prince; Paddy C Dempsey; Jennifer L Reed; Lukas Rubin; Travis J Saunders; Josephine Ta; Grant R Tomkinson; Katherine Merucci; Justin J Lang

doi:10.1007/s40279-023-01986-y

The Effect of Sedentary Behaviour on Cardiorespiratory Fitness: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Sports Med. 2024 Apr;54(4):997-1013. doi: 10.1007/s40279-023-01986-y. Epub 2024 Jan 16.

Authors

Stephanie A Prince^{1

2}, Paddy C Dempsey^{3

4

5

6}, Jennifer L Reed^{7

8

9}, Lukas Rubin^{10

11}, Travis J Saunders¹², Josephine Ta¹³, Grant R Tomkinson¹⁴, Katherine Merucci¹⁵, Justin J Lang^{16

7

14}

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Surveillance and Applied Research, Public Health Agency of Canada, 785 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0K9, Canada. [email protected].
² School of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada. [email protected].
³ Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia.
⁴ MRC Epidemiology Unit, Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK.
⁵ Diabetes Research Centre, College of Life Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
⁶ Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
⁷ School of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
⁸ Exercise Physiology and Cardiovascular Health Lab, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
⁹ School of Human Kinetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
¹⁰ Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Science, Humanities and Education, Technical University of Liberec, Liberec, Czech Republic.
¹¹ Institute of Active Lifestyle, Faculty of Physical Culture, Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
¹² Department Applied Human Sciences, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada.
¹³ Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
¹⁴ Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity, Allied Health and Human Performance, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
¹⁵ Health Canada Library, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
¹⁶ Centre for Surveillance and Applied Research, Public Health Agency of Canada, 785 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0K9, Canada.

Abstract

Background: Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is an important indicator of current and future health. While the impact of habitual physical activity on CRF is well established, the role of sedentary behaviour (SB) remains less understood.

Objective: We aimed to determine the effect of SB on CRF.

Methods: Searches were conducted in MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL and SPORTDiscus from inception to August 2022. Randomised controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies and cohort studies that assessed the relationship between SB and CRF were eligible. Narrative syntheses and meta-analyses summarised the evidence, and Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) certainty was based on evidence from randomised controlled trials.

Results: This review included 18 studies that focused on youth (four randomised controlled trials, three quasi-experimental studies, 11 cohort studies) and 24 on adult populations (15 randomised controlled trials, five quasi-experimental studies, four cohort studies). In youth and adults, evidence from randomised controlled trials suggests mixed effects of SB on CRF, but with the potential for interventions to improve CRF. Quasi-experimental and cohort studies also support similar conclusions. Certainty of evidence was very low for both age groups. A meta-analysis of adult randomised controlled trials found that interventions targeting reducing SB, or increasing physical activity and reducing SB, had a significant effect on post-peak oxygen consumption (mean difference = 3.16 mL^.kg^-1.min^-1, 95% confidence interval: 1.76, 4.57).

Conclusions: Evidence from randomised controlled trials indicates mixed associations between SB and CRF, with the potential for SB to influence CRF, as supported by meta-analytical findings. Further well-designed trials are warranted to confirm the relationship between SB and CRF, explore the effects of SB independent from higher intensity activity, and investigate the existence of such relationships in paediatric populations.

Clinical trial registration: PROSPERO CRD42022356218.

Publication types

Meta-Analysis
Systematic Review

MeSH terms

Adult
Cardiorespiratory Fitness*
Exercise* / physiology
Humans
Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
Sedentary Behavior*