Too much time on a computer, watching TV or other sedentary activities
raises stroke risk

Date:
August 19, 2021
Source:
American Heart Association
Summary:
Adults younger than age 60 who spent eight or more hours a day
during their free time using a computer, watching TV or reading
and participated in little physical activity had an increased risk
of stroke. Boosting physical activity may reduce or eliminate the
increased stroke risk from prolonged sedentary time. Public health
efforts to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary time
in adults younger than age 60 could help to lower their long-term
stroke risk.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Adults younger than age 60 whose days are filled with sedentary leisure
time (which includes using the computer, TV, or reading) and little
physical activity have a higher stroke risk than people who are more
physically active, according to new research published today in Stroke,
a journal of the American Stroke Association, a division of the American
Heart Association.


========================================================================== According to American Heart Association statistics, U.S. adults spend
an average of 10.5 hours a day connected to media such as smartphones, computers or television watching, and adults ages 50 to 64 spend the
most time of any age group connected to media. Data also indicate
that stroke-related deaths decreased in 2010 among adults 65 years
and older. However, death from stroke appears to be on the rise among
younger adults, ages 35 to 64 years - - increasing from 14.7 in every
100,000 adults in 2010 to 15.4 per 100,000 in 2016. Previous research
suggests the more time adults spend sedentary, the greater their risk of cardiovascular disease including stroke, and nearly 9 in 10 strokes could
be attributed to modifiable risk factors such as sedentary behaviors.

"Sedentary time is increasing in the United States and Canada," said
study author Raed A. Joundi, M.D., D.Phil., a stroke fellow in the
department of clinical neurosciences at the Cumming School of Medicine at
the University of Calgary in Canada. "Sedentary time is the duration of
awake activities that are done sitting or lying down. Leisure sedentary
time is specific to the sedentary activities done while not at work. It is important to understand whether high amounts of sedentary time can lead
to stroke in young individuals, as a stroke can cause premature death
or significantly impair function and quality of life." In this study, researchers reviewed health and lifestyle information for 143,000 adults
with no prior stroke, heart disease or cancer who participated in the
Canadian Community Health Survey in years 2000, 2003, 2005, 2007-2012.

Researchers followed the participants for an average of 9.4 years
(until Dec.

31, 2017) and identified strokes through linkages with hospital records.

They reviewed the amount of time spent each day in leisure sedentary
activities (hours spent on computer, reading and watching TV) and divided
them into categories of less than four hours per day; four to less than
six hours per day; six to less than eight hours per day; and eight hours
or more a day. They also divided physical activity into quartiles, or
four equal categories, where the lowest quartile was the least physically active and equivalent to going for a walk for 10 minutes or less daily. "A
walk of 10 minutes or less per day is lower than half of what the American Heart Association's physical activity guidelines recommend," Joundi said.

The American Heart Association recommends adults get at least 150 minutes,
or 2.5 hours, of moderate-intensity physical activity per week.

Analysis of study participants found:
* During the follow-up period, an average of 9.4 years, 2,965 strokes
occurred. Nearly 90% of those were ischemic strokes, the most
common stroke type, which occurs when a vessel supplying blood to
the brain is obstructed.

* The average daily leisure sedentary time among all participants
was 4.08
hours. Individuals aged 60 and younger had an average leisure
sedentary time of 3.9 hours per day. Average daily leisure sedentary
time was 4.4 hours for adults aged 60 to 79, and 4.3 hours for
those 80 years and older.

* Adults 60 years and younger who had low physical activity and
reported
eight or more hours of leisure sedentary time a day had a 4.2 times
higher risk of stroke compared to those reporting less than four
hours of daily leisure sedentary time.

* The most inactive group -- those reporting eight or more hours of
sedentary time and low physical activity -- had 7 times higher
risk of stroke compared to those reporting less than four hours
of sedentary time a day and higher levels of physical activity.

"Adults 60 years and younger should be aware that very high sedentary
time with little time spent on physical activity can have adverse effects
on health, including increased risk of stroke," Joundi said. "Physical
activity has a very important role in that it reduces the actual time
spent sedentary, and it also seems to diminish the negative impact
of excess sedentary time. Physician recommendations and public health
policies should emphasize increased physical activity and lower sedentary
time among young adults in combination with other healthy habits to lower
the risks of cardiovascular events and stroke." A significant limitation
of the study's results was that the survey did not ask participants
about occupation-related sedentary time; this could mean sedentary time
is underreported among people who have desk jobs, for example.

Co-authors are Scott Patten, M.D., Ph.D.; Jeanne Williams, M.Sc.; and
Eric E.

Smith, M.D., M.P.H. Dr. Joundi was supported by the Canadian Institutes
of Health Research. Other author disclosures are listed in the manuscript,
and no external funding was reported for this study.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by American_Heart_Association. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Raed A. Joundi, Scott B. Patten, Jeanne V.A. Williams, Eric
E. Smith.

Association Between Excess Leisure Sedentary Time and
Risk of Stroke in Young Individuals. Stroke, 2021; DOI:
10.1161/STROKEAHA.121.034985 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210819081501.htm

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