Patterns and correlates of sedentary behavior among university students

Objective: To characterize the context, patterns, and correlates of sedentary behavior (SB) in university students. Participants: A total of 95 adults (41% men) enrolled in 34 different undergraduate majors. Methods: SB was assessed by questionnaire and accelerometer. Results: Objective SB and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) accounted for 8.4 +/- 1.5 and 1.2 +/- 0.5 h center dot day(-1), respectively. Most SB was spent in occupational, leisure, and screen time behaviors, and was accumulated in short bouts of 10 min or longer. Women were more sedentary than men (522.0 +/- 80.3 vs. 486.1 +/- 91.3 min center dot day(-1), p = 0.03) and engaged in more prolonged bouts of SB. Correlates of SB included female sex, smoking, light activity, MVPA, and markers of obesity, with higher levels of light activity and current smoking the strongest and most consistent correlates of reduced SB. Conclusions: University students engage in high amounts of SB and accumulate most of their SB in short bouts, with differences in patterns of SB between men and women.