Abstract

This cross-sectional investigation of 6,931 U.S. adults examined the relationship between sitting time and insulin resistance. A primary objective was to evaluate how this relationship was mediated by the following variables: age, sex, race, year of assessment, cigarette smoking, physical activity, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference. Self-reported sitting time, measured in minutes per day, was the exposure variable. Insulin resistance, indexed by the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), was the outcome variable. Data were used from the 2011-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Results showed a strong, positive association between sitting time and insulin resistance after adjusting for age, sex, race, and year of assessment (F = 13.3, p < 0.0001). Further controlling for cigarette smoking and physical activity did not alter the significance of the relationship. Adding BMI to the demographic covariates weakened the relationship but did not nullify it; however, the association was no longer significant after adjusting for differences in waist circumference (F = 1.39, p = 0.2563). Overall, waist circumference was a powerful mediating variable between sitting time and insulin resistance.

Degree

College and Department

Life Sciences; Exercise Sciences

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