The Evolving Definition of "Sedentary"

In Brief Studies that did not directly measure sedentary behavior often have been used to draw conclusions about the health effects of sedentariness. Future claims about the effects of sedentary, light, and moderate-to-vigorous activities on health outcomes should be supported by data from studies in which all levels of physical activity are differentiated clearly and measured independently. Most epidemiological studies assessing the health effects of being sedentary have not measured sedentary behaviors directly.