Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

How Sedentary Are University Students? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

  • Published:
Prevention Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Accumulating high volumes of sedentary behaviour is a risk factor for multiple negative health-related outcomes. The objective of this review was to synthesise the evidence on the levels of sedentary behaviour in university students. Screened records from 13 databases were included if (i) published after 2007 and (ii) reported on university students’ amount of total or domain-specific sedentary behaviour. Sub-group and meta-regression analyses were conducted to investigate potential sources of heterogeneity (moderators). A total of 125 studies met the inclusion criteria. Most studies were cross-sectional (84%) and reported screen time (61%) or total sedentary time (39%). Self-reported data indicated that university students spend 7.29 h per day being sedentary. The levels of total sedentary behaviour were significantly higher when measured with accelerometers (M = 9.82 h per day). Computer use presented significantly higher prevalence over other modalities of screen time. Among the explored factors (i.e. countries’ income, age, gender, and study’s publication date), only publication date significantly moderated sedentary behaviour. Results suggest that a considerable proportion of university students (i) engage in higher levels of sedentary time compared to the general young adult population and (ii) accumulate levels of sedentary time that have been associated with an increased risk for detrimental health outcomes. In addition, meta-regression analyses suggest that sedentary time has increased over the last 10-year period among university students. These findings may inform future initiatives and policies targeting university students’ sedentary behaviour. Further research is needed to identify the factors moderating sedentary behaviour in the university setting.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Altenburg, T. M., de Kroon, M. L., Renders, C. M., HiraSing, R., & Chinapaw, M. J. (2013). TV time but not computer time is associated with cardiometabolic risk in Dutch young adults. PLoS One, 8, e57749.

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Australian Department of Health. (2014). Australia’s physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines for adults (18–64 years). Canberra: Department of Health.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bell, V., Bishop, D. V., & Przybylski, A. K. (2015). The debate over digital technology and young people. BMJ, 351, h3064.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Biswas, A., Oh, P. I., Faulkner, G. E., Bajaj, R. R., Silver, M. A., Mitchell, M. S., & Alter, D. A. (2015). Sedentary time and its association with risk for disease incidence, mortality, and hospitalization in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Annals of Internal Medicine, 162, 123–132.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Borenstein, M., Hedges, L. V., Higgins, J. P., & Rothstein, H. R. (2009). Chapter 23: Independent subgroups within a study. In M. Borenstein (Ed.), Introduction to meta-analysis (pp. 217–223). Chichester: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Camacho, G., & Nakazato, T. (2018). Looking at the smartphone screen for a prolonged time is associated with chronic neck pain, specially in young adults. Annals of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, 61, e113.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chastin, S. F. M., Culhane, B., & Dall, P. M. (2014). Comparison of self-reported measure of sitting time (IPAQ) with objective measurement (activPAL). Physiological Measurement, 35, 2319.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chau, J. Y., Grunseit, A. C., Chey, T., Stamatakis, E., Brown, W. J., Matthews, C. E., et al. (2013). Daily sitting time and all-cause mortality: A meta-analysis. PLoS One, 8, e80000.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Clark, B. K., Pavey, T. G., Lim, R. F., Gomersall, S. R., & Brown, W. J. (2016). Past-day recall of sedentary time: Validity of a self-reported measure of sedentary time in a university population. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 19, 237–241.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Conroy, D. E., Maher, J. P., Elavsky, S., Hyde, A. L., & Doerksen, S. E. (2013). Sedentary behavior as a daily process regulated by habits and intentions. Health Psychology, 32, 1149.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Cotten, E., & Prapavessis, H. (2016). Increasing nonsedentary behaviors in university students using text messages: Randomized controlled trial. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 4, e99.

  • Dogra, S., & Stathokostas, L. (2012). Sedentary behavior and physical activity are independent predictors of successful aging in middle-aged and older adults. Journal of Aging Research, 2012, 190654.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Dragoescu, R. M. (2013). An overview of higher education at the European level. Computational Methods in Social Sciences, 1, 21–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Du, Y., Liu, B., Sun, Y., Snetselaar, L. G., Wallace, R. B., & Bao, W. (2019). Trends in adherence to the physical activity guidelines for Americans for aerobic activity and time spent on sedentary behavior among US adults, 2007 to 2016. JAMA, 2, e197597–e197597.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ekelund, U., Steene-Johannessen, J., Brown, W. J., Fagerland, M. W., Owen, N., Powell, K. E., & Lancet Sedentary Behaviour Working Group. (2016). Does physical activity attenuate, or even eliminate, the detrimental association of sitting time with mortality? A harmonised meta-analysis of data from more than 1 million men and women. The Lancet, 388, 1302–1310.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ekelund, U., Tarp, J., Steene-Johannessen, J., Hansen, B. H., Jefferis, B., Fagerland, M. W., et al. (2019). Dose-response associations between accelerometry measured physical activity and sedentary time and all cause mortality: Systematic review and harmonised meta-analysis. BMJ, 366, l4570.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • European Commission (2012). Eurobarometer 64.3. TNS OPINION & SOCIAL, Brussels [Producer]. GESIS Data Archive, Cologne. ZA4415 Data file Version 1.0.1. https://doi.org/10.4232/1.10971

  • Farinola, M. G., & Bazán, N. E. (2011). Sedentary behavior and physical activity in university students: A pilot study. Argentine Journal of Cardiology, 79, 351–354.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fu, R., Gartlehner, G., Grant, M., Shamliyan, T., Sedrakyan, A., Wilt, T. J., et al. (2011). Conducting quantitative synthesis when comparing medical interventions: AHRQ and the Effective Health Care Program. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 64, 1187–1197.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gao, Z., Chen, S., Pasco, D., & Pope, Z. (2015). A meta-analysis of active video games on health outcomes among children and adolescents. Obesity Reviews, 16, 783–794.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, B., Smith, L., Lorencatto, F., Hamer, M., & Biddle, S. J. (2016). How to reduce sitting time? A review of behaviour change strategies used in sedentary behaviour reduction interventions among adults. Health Psychology Review, 10, 89–112.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hansen, B. H., Kolle, E., Dyrstad, S. M., Holme, I., & Anderssen, S. A. (2012). Accelerometer-determined physical activity in adults and older people. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 44, 266–272.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Higgins, J. P., & Green, S. (2011). Cochrane handbook for systematic reviews of interventions version 5.1.0 [updated March 2011]. The Cochrane Collaboration. Available from http://handbook.cochrane.org.

  • Higgins, J. P., Altman, D. G., Gøtzsche, P. C., Jüni, P., Moher, D., Oxman, A. D., et al. (2011). The Cochrane Collaboration’s tool for assessing risk of bias in randomised trials. BMJ, 343, d5928.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kross, E., Verduyn, P., Demiralp, E., Park, J., Lee, D. S., Lin, N., et al. (2013). Facebook use predicts declines in subjective well-being in young adults. PLoS One, 8, e69841.

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Lakerveld, J., Loyen, A., Schotman, N., Peeters, C. F., Cardon, G., van der Ploeg, H. P., et al. (2017). Sitting too much: A hierarchy of socio-demographic correlates. Preventive Medicine, 101, 77–83.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Loyen, A., van der Ploeg, H. P., Bauman, A., Brug, J., & Lakerveld, J. (2016). European sitting championship: Prevalence and correlates of self-reported sitting time in the 28 European Union member states. PLoS One, 11, e0149320.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Madhav, K. C., Sherchand, S. P., & Sherchan, S. (2017). Association between screen time and depression among US adults. Preventive Medicine Reports, 8, 67–71.

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Matthews, C. E., Chen, K. Y., Freedson, P. S., Buchowski, M. S., Beech, B. M., Pate, R. R., & Troiano, R. P. (2008). Amount of time spent in sedentary behaviors in the United States, 2003–2004. American Journal of Epidemiology, 167, 875–881.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., & Altman, D. G. (2009). Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: The PRISMA statement. Annals of Internal Medicine, 151, 264–269.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Montagni, I., Guichard, E., Carpenet, C., Tzourio, C., & Kurth, T. (2016). Screen time exposure and reporting of headaches in young adults: A cross-sectional study. Cephalalgia, 36, 1020–1027.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moulin, M. S., & Irwin, J. D. (2017). An assessment of sedentary time among undergraduate students at a Canadian university. International Journal of Exercise Science, 10, 1116–1129.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mussi, F. C., Pitanga, F. J. G., & Pires, C. G. D. S. (2017). Cumulative sitting time as discriminator of overweight, obesity, abdominal obesity and lipid disorders in nursing university. Revista Brasileira de Cineantropometria & Desempenho Humano, 19, 40–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Owen, N., Sugiyama, T., Eakin, E. E., Gardiner, P. A., Tremblay, M. S., & Sallis, J. F. (2011). Adults’ sedentary behavior: Determinants and interventions. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 41, 189–196.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Patterson, R., McNamara, E., Tainio, M., de Sá, T. H., Smith, A. D., Sharp, S. J., et al. (2018). Sedentary behaviour and risk of all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality, and incident type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and dose response meta-analysis. European Journal of Epidemiology, 33, 811–829. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-018-0380-1.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Poitras, V. J., Gray, C. E., Borghese, M. M., Carson, V., Chaput, J. P., Janssen, I., et al. (2016). Systematic review of the relationships between objectively measured physical activity and health indicators in school-aged children and youth. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 41, 197–239.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prince, S. A., Reed, J. L., McFetridge, C., Tremblay, M. S., & Reid, R. D. (2017). Correlates of sedentary behaviour in adults: A systematic review. Obesity Reviews, 18, 915–935.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rouse, P. C., & Biddle, S. J. (2010). An ecological momentary assessment of the physical activity and sedentary behaviour patterns of university students. Health Education Journal, 69, 116–125.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stroup, D. F., Berlin, J. A., Morton, S. C., Olkin, I., Williamson, G. D., Rennie, D., et al. (2000). Meta-analysis of observational studies in epidemiology: A proposal for reporting. JAMA, 283, 2008–2012.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Teychenne, M., Costigan, S. A., & Parker, K. (2015). The association between sedentary behaviour and risk of anxiety: A systematic review. BMC Public Health, 15, 513.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Thorp, A. A., Owen, N., Neuhaus, M., & Dunstan, D. W. (2011). Sedentary behaviors and subsequent health outcomes in adults: A systematic review of longitudinal studies, 1996–2011. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 41, 207–215.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tremblay, M. S., Aubert, S., Barnes, J. D., Saunders, T. J., Carson, V., Latimer-Cheung, A. E., et al. (2017). Sedentary behavior research network (SBRN)–terminology consensus project process and outcome. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 14, 75.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • UK Department of Health. (2011). Start active, stay active: A report on physical activity for health from the four home countries’ chief medical officers. London: Crown Copyright.

    Google Scholar 

  • Universities UK. (2017). Patterns and trends in UK higher education 2016. London: Higher Education Statistics Agency.

    Google Scholar 

  • US Department of Health and Human Services. (2000). Healthy people 2010: Understanding and improving health (Vol. 2011). Washington, DC: US Government Printing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilmot, E. G., Edwardson, C. L., Achana, F. A., Davies, M. J., Gorely, T., Gray, L. J., et al. (2012). Sedentary time in adults and the association with diabetes, cardiovascular disease and death: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Diabetologia, 55, 2895–2905.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, X., Tao, S., Zhang, Y., Zhang, S., & Tao, F. (2015). Low physical activity and high screen time can increase the risks of mental health problems and poor sleep quality among Chinese college students. PLoS One, 10, e0119607.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Zhai, L., Zhang, Y., & Zhang, D. (2015). Sedentary behaviour and the risk of depression: A meta-analysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 49, 705–709.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank research librarian Dr. Tricia Kelly for her important contributions to the development of the database search strategy.

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physically Active Lifestyles Research Group (USQ-PALs), Institute for Resilient Regions, University of Southern Queensland, Springfield Central, Queensland, Australia

    Oscar Castro, Jason Bennie, Ineke Vergeer & Stuart J. H. Biddle

  2. Laboratory Epsylon “Dynamics of Human Abilities and Health Behavior” (EA 4556), University of Montpellier, Montpellier, Hérault, France

    Grégoire Bosselut

Authors
  1. Oscar Castro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jason Bennie
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ineke Vergeer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Grégoire Bosselut
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Stuart J. H. Biddle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

OC, JB, IV, and SJHB contributed to the conception and design of the study, as well as to the development of the search strategy. OC and GB conducted the selection and data extraction processes, with input from SJHB. OC performed the data analysis and JB, IV, and SJHB assisted with the interpretation of findings. OC developed the first draft of the paper. All authors contributed to the drafting and revision of the final article. All authors approved the final submitted version of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Oscar Castro.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

OC, JB, IV, and GB report no conflict of interest. SJHB is an international advisory panel member for the ‘Get Britain Standing’ campaign.

Ethical Approval and Informed Consent

Not applicable due to the nature of the manuscript (i.e. systematic review and meta-analysis).

Data-Sharing Statement

All data relevant to the study are included in the article or uploaded as supplementary online information.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Electronic Supplementary Material

ESM 1

(DOCX 30 kb).

ESM 2

(DOCX 13 kb).

ESM 3

(DOCX 15 kb).

ESM 4

(DOCX 18 kb).

ESM 5

(DOCX 195 kb).

ESM 6

(DOCX 21 kb).

ESM 7

(DOCX 25 kb).

ESM 8

(DOCX 18 kb).

ESM 9

(DOCX 36 kb).

ESM 10

(DOCX 19 kb).

ESM 11

(DOCX 18 kb).

ESM 12

(DOCX 34 kb).

ESM 13

(DOCX 47 kb).

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Castro, O., Bennie, J., Vergeer, I. et al. How Sedentary Are University Students? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Prev Sci 21, 332–343 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-020-01093-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-020-01093-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation