Relationship Between Sedentary Behavior and Mode of Commuting Among Physical Therapy Students in Okayama Prefecture, Japan

IntroductionThe duration of sedentary behavior is closely linked to various health outcomes.The sedentary behavior of physical therapy students is suspected to increase due to their classes and other commitments.Commuting to university is considered to have a significant impact on sedentary behavior in daily life.Therefore, the present study investigated the relationship between sedentary behavior and mode of commuting among physical therapy students in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. MethodsA total of 103 physical therapy students were enrolled in this cross-sectional study.Sedentary behavior, such as mean sedentary behavior (minutes/day), was evaluated by a tri-accelerometer.Mode of commuting was classified as walking, cycling, and rail travel.We also used a self-administered questionnaire to survey students' sex, age, one-way commute time, participation in sports clubs, and exercise habits. ResultsMean sedentary behavior was significantly shorter in students who cycled (512.3 ± 96.4 minutes) than in those who walked (600.1 ± 99.9 minutes, p = 0.038).Cycling was negatively associated with mean daily sedentary behavior in adjusted analyses, although the overall regression models were not statistically significant. ConclusionAmong physical therapy students, those who commuted by cycling had shorter mean daily sedentary behavior than those who walked.However, the small number of walking commuters and the limited explanatory power of the regression models warrant cautious interpretation.