Reduction of Sitting Time: Sedentarism Intervention Trial
Condition: Life Style; Physical Activity; Sedentary Behavior
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Recent studies have suggested that prolonged daily sitting time may in itself have a negative
      effect on health, even in people who engage in daily physical activity.

      The aim of the present study is to explore whether individually tailored lifestyle
      counselling aimed at reducing TV-viewing and other sedentary activities during leisure time
      and at work, can reduce sitting time and waist circumference, weight and blood pressure; and
      improve serum lipid levels. From a population-based health survey, 150 adult men and women
      with more than 3.5 hours of daily leisure time sitting time are recruited and randomly
      assigned to 1) an intervention group or 2) a control group. The intervention group will
      participate in 4 individually tailored lifestyle intervention sessions focussing on reduction
      of daily sitting time. The control group will receive no intervention.
    

Detailed description: 
      Evidence for the health benefits of regular physical activity is clear and unanimous.
      Recently, observational studies have found that prolonged bouts of sitting time are
      associated with chronic disease and mortality, even in individuals who engage in regular
      physical activity. These new findings indicate that sedentary behaviour should be regarded as
      a distinct class of behaviour with independent effects on disease risk, separate from the
      behaviour of leisure time physical activity. Prolonged daily sitting time is prevalent in
      modern, western society, making further exploration into this field of research a relevant
      public health issue.

      It remains to be tested, whether it is possible to reduce sedentary leisure time in adults
      and whether a reduction of sedentary leisure time will lead to a decrease in biological CVD
      risk factors.

      The investigators hypothesize that sedentary behaviour during leisure time and at work may be
      reduced through a theory-based individually tailored lifestyle intervention.

      Aim: To examine whether an individually tailored lifestyle intervention aimed at reducing
      TV-viewing and other sedentary activities during leisure time and at work, can reduce sitting
      time, waist circumference, BMI and blood pressure; and improve serum lipid level.

      Study population: From the "Health2010" study, that was initiated February 2010 at the RCPH,
      150 sedentary participants will be consecutively invited and randomised by computer-generated
      random numbers into A) an intervention group (n=75) and B) a control group (n=75), when
      visiting the RCPH for the health examination. The entire Health2010 population will comprise
      4.000 men and women between 19 and 69 years of age.

      Control group: The control group will be instructed to maintain their usual lifestyle,
      including physical activity level and sedentary behaviour. After the intervention period is
      terminated, participants in the control group will be given the written material (booklets
      etc.).

      Primary outcome measure: Time engaging in sedentary activities (hours & minutes per day), as
      measured by ActivPAL. Secondary outcome measures: self-reported physical activity and sitting
      time, total cholesterol, HDL, triglycerides, LDL, weight, waist circumference, systolic and
      diastolic blood pressure. Outcome measures will be obtained at baseline (inclusion) and after
      6 months.

      A possible effect of the intervention on self-reported sedentary leisure time (primary
      outcome) and biological CVD risk factors (secondary outcomes) will be explored by comparison
      of intervention and control group at baseline and follow-up. Regression analysis and
      intention-to-treat analysis will be applied and a significance level of 0.05 will be used.
    

Intervention name(s): Life style intervention
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Reduction of sedentary behavior through theory-based individually tailored lifestyle intervention.
Other intervention name(s): Life style counselling
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: Life style disease; Obesity; Sedentary behaviour; Cardiovascular biomarkers