Sitting time and associated factors among chronic disease patients in Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of high sitting time and associate factors among chronic disease patients in Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam. Sitting time and physical activity were measured using the General Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ). A number of logistic regression models investigated socio-demographic and health related factors associated with higher sitting (6hrs/day) in 4803 adults, including four separate sub-samples for analysis comprising those who had cardiovascular disease (n = 804), hypertension (n = 1402), diabetes (n = 509) and anxiety and/or depression (n = 2114). Results indicate that the mean reported sitting time was 196 minutes/day (SD=157), with 20.7% having high sitting time (6hrs/day). Using multivariate logistic regression the odds of 6 or more hours sitting time per day were significantly associated with a number of factors across the different study samples: older age, higher educational level, being single, divorced or widowed, not being employed, living in a rural area, having fewer chronic conditions, poorer self-rated health status, activity limitation, low physical activity, no problem drinking and not having depression symptoms. The results may help to identify chronic disease patients that should be targeted in interventions aiming at reducing sitting time.