Table 5.

2020 WHO sedentary behaviour guidelines for children and adolescents (5–17 years)

Sedentary behaviour is defined as time spent sitting or lying with low energy expenditure, while awake, in the context of educational, home, and community settings and transportation. In children and adolescents, higher amounts of sedentary behaviour are associated with the following poor health outcomes: increased adiposity; poorer cardiometabolic health, fitness, behavioural conduct/pro-social behaviour; and reduced sleep duration. It is recommended that:  • Children and adolescents should limit the amount of time spent being sedentary, particularly the amount of recreational screen time. Strong recommendation, low certainty evidence