Research

Adherence

High levels of sedentary behavior are unfavorably associated with cognitive function, depression, physical activity levels, and physical health-related quality of life in adults.

To support your mental health and quality of life, avoid accumulating high levels of sedentary time. Break up long periods of sitting with movement, as this is associated with better cognitive function and lower depression risk.

LimitedSupportsLOW confidence
High levels of sedentary behaviour are unfavourably associated with cognitive function, depression, function and disability, physical activity levels, and physical health-related quality of life in adults.
Travis J. Saunders et al. · Applied Physiology Nutrition and Metabolism · 2020

Why this rating

The paper explicitly states the certainty of evidence for these associations is 'low to very low' due to reliance on observational studies and inconsistency.

Source

Sedentary behaviour and health in adults: an overview of systematic reviews

Travis J. Saunders et al. · Applied Physiology Nutrition and Metabolism · 2020

DOI 10.1139/apnm-2020-0272

Meta-analysis · 18 studiesCited 461×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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