Many of us spend much of our day sitting. But how much is too much when it comes to our health? Can spending just a little less time sitting improve our health?
Assistant Dean for Research in the College of Allied Health Professions Yvonne Golightly, PhD, and her team want to find out.
Sedentary behavior means sitting, reclining, or lying down and using very little energy. Having a mostly sedentary lifestyle is common in our current world, and unfortunately, it is related to chronic diseases, like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and joint pain.
Dr. Golightly is a co-investigator on a R56 grant titled, “The longitudinal relationship of sedentary behavior with health outcomes in a community-based cohort: The Johnston County Health Study,” recently funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Golightly is also co-principal investigator of the Johnston County Health Study.
“Results of this research will help us determine how much we need to reduce sedentary time (and replace it with light or moderate physical activity) to improve joint pain, mobility, and quality of life,” said Dr. Golightly.
Details: This study will examine how reducing sedentary behavior (being inactive) relates to health outcomes. Participants in this study are from a community-based cohort that includes individuals who are 35-70 years old and identify as Hispanic, Black, or White. Participants will wear activity monitors, and analyses will examine how replacing sedentary time with physical activity affects their chronic joint pain, mobility, and quality of life.
The study team includes her colleagues Dr. Daniel White (PI, University of Delaware) and Dr. Becki Cleveland (co-I, University of North Carolina).