Title : Sedentary Time and Screen-based Sedentary Behaviours of Children with a Chronic Disease

The objectives of this study were to (i) assess sedentary time and prevalence of screen-based sedentary behaviours of children with a chronic disease and (ii) compare sedentary time and prevalence of screen-based sedentary behaviours to ageand sex-matched healthy controls. Sixty-five children (aged 6-18 years) with a chronic disease participated: survivors of a brain tumor, haemophilia, type 1 diabetes mellitus, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, cystic fibrosis and Crohn’s disease. Twenty-nine of these participants were compared to ageand sex-matched healthy controls. Sedentary time was measured objectively by an ActiGraph GT1M or GT3X accelerometer worn for 7 consecutive days and defined as <100 counts per minute. A questionnaire was used to assess screen-based sedentary behaviours. Children with a chronic disease engaged in an average of 10.2±1.4 hours of sedentary time per day, which comprised 76.5±7.1% of average daily monitoring time. There were no differences between children with a chronic disease and controls in sedentary time (adjusted for wear time, p=0.06) or in the prevalence of TV watching, and computer or video game usage for varying durations (p=0.78, p=0.39 and, p=0.32 respectively). Children with a chronic disease, though relatively healthy, accumulate high levels of sedentary time, similar to those of their healthy peers. “Sedentary Time and Screen-based Sedentary Behaviours of Children with a Chronic Disease” by Walker RG et al. Pediatric Exercise Science © 2014 Human Kinetics, Inc.