Definition and prevalence of sedentarism in an urban population

Objectives. The present study sought to formulate a precise definition of s edentarism and to identify activities performed by active people that could serve as effective preventive goals. Methods. A population-based sample of 919 residents of Geneva, Switzerland, aged 35 to 74 years, completed a 24-hour recall. Sedentary people were def ined as those expending less than 10% of their daily energy in the performa nce of moderate- and high-intensity activities (at least 4 times the basal metabolism rate). Results. The rates of sedentarism were 79.5% in men and 87.2% in women. Amo ng Sedentary and active men, average daily energy expenditures were 2600 kc al (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2552, 2648) and 3226 kcal (95% CI = 3110 , 3346), respectively; the corresponding averages for women were 2092 kcal (95% CI = 2064, 2120) and 2356 kcal (95% CI = 2279, 2440). The main moderat e- and high-intensity activities among active people wen sports (tennis, gy mnastics, skiing), walking, climbing stairs, gardening, and (for men only) occupational activities. Conclusions. The definition of sedentarism outlined in this article can be reproduced in other populations, allows comparisons across studies, and pro vides preventive guidelines in that the activities most frequently performe d by active people arts the ones most likely to be adopted by their sedenta ry peers.