Data on Determinants Are Needed to Curb the Sedentary Epidemic in Europe

Societal and technological changes have resulted in sitting during most activities of daily living, such as learning, working, travelling and leisure time. Too much time spent in such sedentary activities, or 'sedentary behaviour', is a concern for public health. The European DEDIPAC (Determinants of Diet and Physical Activity) Knowledge Hub coordinated the work of 35 institutions across 12 European member states to investigate the determinants of sedentary behaviour as well as of nutrition behaviours and physical activity. In an earlier paper we provided a brief overview of relevant results of DEDIPAC. In a paper just published in the International Journal of Environment and Public Health, we summarize what was done and provide recommendations concerning research on determinants of sedentary behaviour. DEDIPAC reviewed current evidence, set a theoretical framework and harmonised the available epidemiological data.
The conclusion is that there is a dire lack of data that is exploitable across Europe to inform policy and intervention. There is an urgent need to develop international data collection compliant with FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Re-usable) and standardised surveillance systems for sedentary behaviour.