Physical Activity–Sedentary Behaviour Profiles and Associated Lifestyle Characteristics in Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background/Objectives: Physical activity and sedentary behaviour are related but distinct components of adolescent movement behaviour and may combine into heterogeneous lifestyle profiles. This study aimed to identify empirically derived physical activity–sedentary behaviour profiles and to examine sociodemographic and lifestyle factors associated with profile membership. Methods: This cross-sectional, school-based study included 3307 Polish adolescents aged 15–17 years (52.22% girls; mean age, 15.89 ± 0.71 years). Weekly sedentary time and walking, moderate-intensity, and vigorous-intensity physical activity were assessed using the IPAQ-LF, reprocessed using predefined truncation procedures, standardised using z-scores, and entered into k-means clustering. Two- and three-cluster solutions were evaluated. Separate binary logistic regression models examined crude and sex- and school-type-adjusted associations between candidate lifestyle correlates and profile membership. Results: Although the two-cluster solution had a higher average silhouette coefficient (0.36 vs. 0.28), the three-cluster solution was retained because it provided a more differentiated and substantively interpretable representation of movement-behaviour patterns. The profiles comprised a walking-dominant activity profile (C1; n = 645; 19.50%), a high moderate-to-vigorous activity/lower sedentary profile (C2; n = 354; 10.71%), and a lower physical activity profile (C3; n = 2308; 69.80%). C3 had substantially lower walking, moderate-intensity, and vigorous-intensity activity than C1, while sedentary time was similar in magnitude between these profiles. After adjustment for sex and school type, C2 membership was associated with irregular eating patterns (OR = 1.73, 95% CI: 1.05–2.84), school-day sleep ≥ 9 h/day (OR = 1.98, 95% CI: 1.11–3.54), weekend sleep < 7 h/day (OR = 1.70, 95% CI: 1.02–2.82), and weekend sleep ≥ 9 h/day (OR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.16–2.16). No lifestyle candidate correlate reached statistical significance in the adjusted C3-versus-C1 analyses. Conclusions: The identified profiles support viewing physical activity and sedentary behaviour as related but non-equivalent dimensions of adolescent movement behaviour. Lower physical activity did not necessarily coincide with higher sedentary time, while selected sleep-duration and eating-regularity characteristics were associated with the high moderate-to-vigorous activity/lower sedentary profile. These findings are exploratory and warrant confirmation in longitudinal studies using objective measures.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Nutrients
Published
2026-08-27
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18172798
Primary Topic
Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Physical Activity–Sedentary Behaviour Profiles and Associated Lifestyle Characteristics in Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study

Elżbieta Cieśla, Anna Zmyślna, Mariola Wojciechowska, Arkadiusz Żurawski et al.
Nutrients
Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
article

Physical Activity–Sedentary Behaviour Profiles and Associated Lifestyle Characteristics in Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study

Elżbieta Cieśla, Anna Zmyślna, Mariola Wojciechowska, Arkadiusz Żurawski, Dorota Kozieł
article en

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Physical activity and sedentary behaviour are related but distinct components of adolescent movement behaviour and may combine into heterogeneous lifestyle profiles. This study aimed to identify empirically derived physical activity–sedentary behaviour profiles and to examine sociodemographic and lifestyle factors associated with profile membership. Methods: This cross-sectional, school-based study included 3307 Polish adolescents aged 15–17 years (52.22% girls; mean age, 15.89 ± 0.71 years). Weekly sedentary time and walking, moderate-intensity, and vigorous-intensity physical activity were assessed using the IPAQ-LF, reprocessed using predefined truncation procedures, standardised using z-scores, and entered into k-means clustering. Two- and three-cluster solutions were evaluated. Separate binary logistic regression models examined crude and sex- and school-type-adjusted associations between candidate lifestyle correlates and profile membership. Results: Although the two-cluster solution had a higher average silhouette coefficient (0.36 vs. 0.28), the three-cluster solution was retained because it provided a more differentiated and substantively interpretable representation of movement-behaviour patterns. The profiles comprised a walking-dominant activity profile (C1; n = 645; 19.50%), a high moderate-to-vigorous activity/lower sedentary profile (C2; n = 354; 10.71%), and a lower physical activity profile (C3; n = 2308; 69.80%). C3 had substantially lower walking, moderate-intensity, and vigorous-intensity activity than C1, while sedentary time was similar in magnitude between these profiles. After adjustment for sex and school type, C2 membership was associated with irregular eating patterns (OR = 1.73, 95% CI: 1.05–2.84), school-day sleep ≥ 9 h/day (OR = 1.98, 95% CI: 1.11–3.54), weekend sleep < 7 h/day (OR = 1.70, 95% CI: 1.02–2.82), and weekend sleep ≥ 9 h/day (OR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.16–2.16). No lifestyle candidate correlate reached statistical significance in the adjusted C3-versus-C1 analyses. Conclusions: The identified profiles support viewing physical activity and sedentary behaviour as related but non-equivalent dimensions of adolescent movement behaviour. Lower physical activity did not necessarily coincide with higher sedentary time, while selected sleep-duration and eating-regularity characteristics were associated with the high moderate-to-vigorous activity/lower sedentary profile. These findings are exploratory and warrant confirmation in longitudinal studies using objective measures.

NutrientsVol. 18(17)
Jan Kochanowski University (PL), Postgraduate School of Molecular Medicine (PL)
Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation
Openalex Percentile: Top 8%
Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.