Prevention & lipidsMeta-analysis
Joint association of sedentary behaviour and physical activity with cardiovascular disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies
Authors' conclusion
In conclusion, individuals with the lowest PA combined with the highest SB may experience an increased risk for CVD events compared with those with the highest PA and lowest SB. There was also an increased risk for individuals with a combination of either low PA + low SB and high PA + high SB, albeit to a lesser extent.
Study context
- Population
- Adults; English studies published January 2010–February 2025 (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane)17 studies
- Comparison
- Joint categories of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) vs highest PA + lowest SB
- Outcome
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) (fatal and non-fatal)
Pooled result
As reported in the abstract
CVD risk
Each group vs highest PA + lowest SBHazard ratio (95% CI)
Lowest PA + lowest SB
1.25(1.12–1.40)
Highest PA + highest SB
1.16(1.06–1.27)
- Lowest PA + highest SB
- pooled effect size 1.78 (95% CI 1.59–2.00)
Further pooled results
Subgroups by PA/SB domain or type, outcome measure and exposure measurement method
- Similar pattern
Original publication
Joint association of sedentary behaviour and physical activity with cardiovascular disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Prev Cardiol. Published 11 May 2026. doi:10.1093/eurjpc/zwag263
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it