Table 1.

Overview of the 48 included studies after literature search

Data presented in paragraph(s)	Author(s)	Study population	Subjective or objective SB tool	General finding(s)
Original studies
Assessment of SB	Van Cauwenberg et al. (2014b)	n = 508	Both	Validity for older adults’ self-reported total sitting time against accelerometer-derived sedentary time was not strong, but comparable to previous studies
	Aguilar-Farías et al. (2014)	n = 37	Objective	The results suggest that cut-points are dependent on unit of analyses (i.e. epoch length and axes); cut-points for a given epoch length and axis cannot simply be extrapolated to other epoch lengths
	Hekler et al. (2012)	n = 870	Both	CHAMPS items effectively measured high-light, total activity, and MVPA in seniors, but further refinement is needed for sedentary and low-light activity
	van Uffelen et al. (2011)	n = 55	Subjective	The accuracy of older adults’ self-reported sitting time is questionable given the challenges they have in answering sitting-time questions
	Gardiner et al. (2011a)	n = 48	Both	The summary measure of total sedentary time has good repeatability and modest validity and is sufficiently responsive to change suggesting that it is suitable for use in interventions with older adults
Prevalence and types of SB	Shiroma et al. (2013)	n = 7247	Objective	Older women spent about two-thirds of waking time in SB, most of which occurred in bouts lasting less than 30 min
	Arnardottir et al. (2013)	n = 579	Objective	Sedentary time is high in Icelandic older adults who have high life-expectancy and live north of 60° northern latitude, while PA declines with increasing age and body mass index. Women spend more time in low-light PA, but less in MVPA than men
	Evenson et al. (2014)	n = 760	Objective	The New York sample spent a longer proportion of time in SB and light activities, but more time in MVPA than the country sample. Urbanicity may explain these differences
	Evenson et al. (2012)	n = 2630	Objective	MVPA estimates vary among adults aged 60 or older, depending on the cut point chosen, and most of their time is spent in SBs
	Lord et al. (2011)	n = 56	Objective	Walking, sedentary and transitory behaviours are distinct from each other, and together explain daily function
	Jefferis et al. (2015a)	n = 1419	Objective	Among older adults, the steep decline in total PA occurred due to reductions in MVPA whilst light PA is relatively spared and sedentary time and long sedentary bouts increase
Health impact of SB—Musculoskeletal health & functional fitness	Mitchell et al. (2015)	n = 5681	Subjective	SB was identified as mediator for the association between obesity and falls in community living older people
	Gianoudis et al. (2015)	n = 162	Subjective	Higher levels of SB in older adults were associated with reduced muscle mass and an increased risk of sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults, independent of PA
	Dunlop et al. (2015)	n = 2286	Objective	These U.S. national data show a strong relationship between greater time spent in SB and the presence of ADL disability, independent of time spent in moderate or vigorous activity
	Santos et al. (2012)	n = 312	Objective	Elderly who spend more time in PA or less time in SBs exhibit improved functional fitness and other confounders
	Chastin et al. (2012)	n = 30	Objective	The pattern of SB accumulation varies between older adults and is associated with muscle quality and adiposity
	Cawthon et al. (2013)	n = 1983	Objective	Older men with lower total energy expenditure, lower moderate activity, or greater sedentary time were more likely to develop a functional limitation
Health impact of SB—Cardio metabolic health & mortality	Ensrud et al. (2014)	n = 2918	Objective	In older men exceeding current guidelines on PA, greater time spent in SB is associated with increased mortality risk
	Chase et al. (2014)	n = 54	Objective	SB is associated with an adverse metabolic effect on low-density lipoprotein in seniors, even those who meet guideline recommendations for an active ‘fit’ adult
	Gennuso et al. (2013)	n = 1914	Objective	The results suggest that sufficient MVPA did not ameliorate the negative associations between SB and cardio metabolic risk factors or functional limitations in the current sample
	Inoue et al. (2012)	n = 1806	Subjective	Spending less time watching TV, a predominant SB, was associated with lower risk of being overweight or obese, independent of meeting PA guidelines
	Stamatakis et al. (2012)	n = 2765	Both	SB is associated with cardio metabolic risk factors, but the associations are more consistent when it is measured by self-report that includes TV viewing
	Gardiner et al. (2011c)	n = 1958	Subjective	High levels of SB were associated with greater prevalence of the metabolic syndrome
	Bankoski et al. (2011)	n = 1367	Objective	The proportion of sedentary time was strongly related to metabolic risk, independent of PA
	Gao et al. (2007)	n = 455	Subjective	A high prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in a representative sample of Caribbean-origin Hispanic elders was associated with prolonged television viewing, independent of PA and energy intake
	León-Muñoz et al. (2013)	n = 2635	Subjective	Compared with consistently sedentary older adults, consistently non-sedentary individuals showed reduced all-cause mortality. Individuals who changed sitting time experienced an intermediate reduction in mortality
	Pavey et al. (2015)	n = 6656	Subjective	Prolonged sitting-time was positively associated with all-cause mortality. Women who reported sitting for more than 8 h/day and did not meet PA guidelines had an increased risk of dying within the next 9 years
	Gómez-Cabello et al. (2012)	n = 3136	Subjective	Sitting time increases the risk of overweight-obesity and overfat in women and the risk of central obesity in men, independently of walking time
Health impact of SB—Other (health) outcomes & quality of life	Withall et al. (2014)	n = 228	Objective	Steps, MVPA and lower limb function were independently and moderately positively associated with perceived physical well-being but relationships with mental well-being variables were weak. No significant associations between SBs and well-being were observed
	Balboa-Castillo et al. (2011)	n = 1097	Subjective	Greater leisure-time PA and less leisure-time SB were independently associated with better long-term health-related QoL in older adults
	Vance et al. (2008)	n = 158	Subjective	Partial support was found for PA to improve and SB to worsen cognitive health
	Verghese et al. (2003)	n = 469	Subjective	Participation in certain seated leisure activities (like reading or playing board games) is associated with a reduced risk of dementia, even after adjustment for base-line cognitive status and after the exclusion of subjects with possible preclinical dementia
Strategies to counteract the health effects of SB	Meneguci et al. (2015)	n = 3296	Subjective	Socio-demographic, clinical, and health behaviour factors are associated with high sitting time in older adults from South-eastern Brazil
	Sardinha et al. (2015)	n = 215	Objective	Breaking-up sedentary time is associated with better physical function in older adults; and, it may have an important place in future guidelines on preserving older adults’ physical function to support ADL
	Gardner et al. (2014)	n = 120	Both	N/a
	Chastin et al. (2014b)	n = 11	Subjective	Older adults consider self-efficacy, functional limitations, ageist stereotyping, locus of control, and pain as determinants of their SB
	van der Berg et al. (2014)	n = 565	Objective	Some demographic, socioeconomic, and biomedical determinants in midlife were associated with considerably more sedentary time per day in old age
	Van Cauwenberg et al. (2014a)	n = 50,986	Subjective	There is a cross-sectional link between older adults’ television viewing time and social composition of their neighbourhood, formal participation, access to alternative activities, and safety from crime
	Fitzsimons et al. (2013)	n = 24	Both	A consultation approach may help individuals reduce time spent in SBs
	Davis et al. (2014)	n = 217	Objective	Promoting regular breaks in sedentary time might be useful in maintaining or increasing lower extremity function and later life independence
	Kikuchi et al. (2013)	n = 1665	Subjective	Particular socio-demographic and behavioural characteristics related to TV time among Japanese older adults have been identified, but they differ by gender
	Gardiner et al. (2011b)	n = 59	Objective	Sedentary time in older adults can be reduced following a brief intervention based on goal setting and behavioural self-monitoring
	Nicklas et al. (2014)	n = 48	Objective	Self-monitoring of spontaneous PA and SB enhanced successful maintenance of lost weight
	Uffelen et al. (2012)	n = 6116	Subjective	It is suggested that older women with a high health risk profile and social risk profile may particularly benefit from interventions to promote both reducing sitting time and increasing PA or at least light activities
	Dogra and Stathokostas (2014)	n = 14,560	Subjective	Several specific correlates of extended sitting time were identified; these findings have implications for public health strategies targeting older adults

Data presented in paragraph(s)	Author(s)	Study population	Subjective or objective SB tool	General finding(s)
Reviews
Prevalence and types of SB	Harvey et al. (2013)	n = 372,550	Both	Whether measurements are subjective or objective, the majority of older adults are sedentary
	Harvey et al. (2015)	n = 349,698	Both	Time spent sedentary ranges from 5.3 to 9.4 h per waking day in older adults
Health impact of SB—Overall	de Rezende et al. (2014a)	n = 335,503	Both	The data supports the relationship between SB and mortality in older adults

SB sedentary behaviour, CHAMPS community healthy activities model program for seniors, MVPA moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, PA physical activity, ADL activities of daily living, TV television, QoL quality of life, N/a not applicable