Objectively measured sedentary time among five ethnic groups in Amsterdam

Sedentary behaviour is increasingly recognised as a health risk behaviour, partly independent of moderate to vigorous physical activity. An increasing number of studies focus on sedentary behaviour, but  studies on sedentary behaviour among ethnic minority groups are scarce. In a a study just published in Plos ONE -with Dr. Anne Loyen as first authors- we compared levels and socio-demographic and lifestyle-related correlates of objectively measured sedentary time in five ethnic groups in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Data were collected as part of the HELIUS study, a cohort study conducted in Amsterdam. The sample consisted of adults from a Dutch, Moroccan, African Surinamese, South-Asian Surinamese and Turkish ethnic origin. Data were collected by questionnaire, physical examination, and a combined heart rate and accelerometry monitor (Actiheart). Sedentary time was defined as waking time spent on activities of <1 .5="" a="" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolic_equivalent" target="_blank">metabolic equivalents
. All analyses were adjusted for gender and age.Sedentary time ranged from 569 minutes/day (9.5 hours/day) for participants with a Moroccan and Turkish origin to 621 minutes/day (10.3 hours/day) in African Surinamese participants. There were no statistically significant differences in the levels or correlates of sedentary time between the ethnic groups. Meeting the physical activity recommendations (150 minutes/week) was consistently inversely associated with sedentary time across all ethnic groups, while age was positively associated with sedentary time in most groups.