Abstract
Objectives
The objective was to systematically review the literature to determine whether sedentary time was associated with cardiometabolic diseases and their risk factors among South Asian adults.
Methods
Six electronic databases were searched to identify all studies that examined the association between sedentary time and cardiometabolic diseases (e.g., diabetes, cardiovascular disease) and their risk factors [e.g., body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), lipids, blood pressure (BP), glucose] among South Asian adults. Two independent reviewers performed abstract/full-text screening, data abstraction, and quality assessments.
Results
Searching identified 1757 potential articles; 22 were used in the analysis. Greater sedentary time was associated with an increased likelihood of diabetes (n = 5), higher BMI (n = 13), WC (n = 3), BP (n = 2), and glucose (n = 4). Thirteen out of 22 studies were of higher quality.
Conclusion
Results identified a trend whereby greater sedentary time was associated with an increased risk for diabetes, and several other cardiometabolic risk factors among South Asian adults. High quality studies are needed to identify whether risk factors are independent of physical activity levels to inform culturally-specific interventions for South Asians.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Ms. Erica Wright for her technical assistance with the search strategy.
Authors’ contributions
SA conceived the study, design and methodology, developed the bibliographic search strategy, screened all abstracts and papers, performed data abstraction and quality assessments, and drafted and edited the manuscript. SS participated in its design and coordination, screened all abstracts and papers, and provided critical revision of the manuscript. KLW participated in the updated search, screened full texts, verified quality assessments, and provided critical review of the manuscript. SAP also conceived the study, its design and coordination, performed data abstraction and quality assessments, and provided critical revision of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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SAP was funded by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Fellowship and an Endowed Research Fellowship from the University of Ottawa Heart Institute Foundation. This article does not contain any studies with human participants performed by any of the authors.
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Ahmad, S., Shanmugasegaram, S., Walker, K.L. et al. Examining sedentary time as a risk factor for cardiometabolic diseases and their markers in South Asian adults: a systematic review. Int J Public Health 62, 503–515 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-017-0947-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-017-0947-8