Based on 88 eligible observational studies , level of evidence grading and quantitative meta-analyses indicated that there is limited available evidence that the total volume or patterns of sedentary behaviour are associated with health in children and adolescents when accounting for moderate-intensity to vigorous-intensity physical activity or focusing on studies with low risk of bias .
Quality evidence from studies with robust design s and methods , objective measures of sitting , examining associations for various health outcomes , is needed to better underst and if the overall volume or patterns of sedentary behaviour are independent determinants of health in children and adolescents
Sedentary behaviour has emerged as a unique determinant of health in adults .
Studies in children and adolescents have been less consistent .
We review ed the evidence to determine if the total volume and patterns ( i.e. breaks and bouts ) of objective ly measured sedentary  behaviour  were associated with adverse health outcomes in young people , independent of moderate-intensity to vigorous-intensity physical activity .
A longitudinal study of sedentary behavior and overweight in adolescent girls.
The aim of this study is to examine  sedentary and light activity  in relation to overweight in adolescent girls . Adolescent girls were r and omly recruited from 36 schools participating in the Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls ( TAAG ) . Assessment s included age , ethnicity , socioeconomic status , and body composition estimated from weight , height , and triceps skinfold .  Sedentary and light activity  was measured for 6 days using accelerometry in 6th and in 8th grade among two r and omly sample d cross-sections of girls .  Sedentary activity  increased from the 6th to 8th grade by 51.5 min/day . In the 8th grade , a significantly higher number of hours in sedentary activity for each of the 6-days of measurement were evident with higher tertiles of percent body fat ( 30 - 35 % , > 35 % fat ) ( P < 0.05 ) , but not across all increasing tertiles of BMI ( 5th to 85th , 85th to 95th , and > 95th percentiles ) . The increase in sedentary activity was observed on weekdays , but not on weekends for percent body fat tertiles . In the cohort of girls measured in both 6th and 8th grade s , the mean cross-sectional coefficient estimates were significant for percent body fat , but not BMI for sedentary and light activities . Adolescent girls from the 6th to 8th grade are shifting their time from light to more  sedentary activity as measured by accelerometers . In addition , the increase in sedentary activity is not associated with an adverse effect on BMI or percent body fat . The eventual impact of this shift to a more sedentary lifestyle on body composition and other outcomes needs to be evaluated further
Based on 88 eligible observational studies , level of evidence grading and quantitative meta-analyses indicated that there is limited available evidence that the total volume or patterns of sedentary behaviour are associated with health in children and adolescents when accounting for moderate-intensity to vigorous-intensity physical activity or focusing on studies with low risk of bias .
Quality evidence from studies with robust design s and methods , objective measures of sitting , examining associations for various health outcomes , is needed to better underst and if the overall volume or patterns of sedentary behaviour are independent determinants of health in children and adolescents
Sedentary behaviour has emerged as a unique determinant of health in adults .
Studies in children and adolescents have been less consistent .
We review ed the evidence to determine if the total volume and patterns ( i.e. breaks and bouts ) of objective ly measured sedentary  behaviour  were associated with adverse health outcomes in young people , independent of moderate-intensity to vigorous-intensity physical activity .