Targeting sedentary behaviour: an activity tracker approach to combat physical inactivity and improve cardiometabolic health

Abstract

During the last decades, Western societies live in an environment that is characterized by passive forms of transportation, sedentary jobs and modern communication techniques. These changes have contributed to a predominantly physically inactive lifestyle in which a vast majority of our waking hours is spent in a seated position. Insufficient physical activity is a major contributor to a worse cardiometabolic health profile and the development of chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases. Despite the significant health benefits of physical activity, adherence to these physical activity guidelines is poor. In addition, it appears that even the recommended levels of physical activity do not always fully protect against cardiometabolic risk factors and the development of chronic diseases. As such, next to the time spent in physical activity, an additional factor that also appears to determine cardiometabolic health and chronic disease development is sedentary behaviour. This thesis investigated the effects of high amounts of physical activity to attenuate the detrimental effects of sedentary behaviour on cardiometabolic health. In addition, the effects of consumer wearable activity trackers to improve physical activity, sedentary behaviour and cardiometabolic health were investigated.