Associations between sedentary behaviours and quality of life: a systematic review

Abstract

Background: The aim of the systematic review was to provide a synthesis of trials analyzing the associations between sedentary behaviors and health related quality of life. Method: The electronic databases such as: PsycINFO, PsychArticle, Academic Search Complete, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, and MEDLINE were search for studies investigating the relationship between sedentary behaviors and quality of life indicators. Findings: Among 25 studies included into systematic review: 21 were cross-sectional, 3 were longitudinal and one had the experimental design. The majority of studies (n=19) were conducted among adults, with 9 targeting cancer survivors and 4 enrolling patients with other diseases; the remaining 6 focused on healthy adults. Two studies were conducted among children with obesity and 4 among healthy adolescents . Only 4 studies used objective measurement of sedentary behavior. The majority of studies (84%) showed lower quality of life among people with higher levels of sedentary behaviors. Only 12% of trials reported no significant relation between sedentary behaviors and quality of life, with one study (4%) yielding inconclusive results. Discussions: Any conclusions about the causal link associations higher levels of sedentary behaviors and lower quality of life scores are preliminary, as majority of the studies had cross-sectional design. Further longitudinal studies to examine the mechanism underlying this relationship are needed.