Associations between socioeconomic position and correlates of sedentary behaviour among youth: a systematic review

• Published in: Obesity reviews Vol. 16; no. 11; pp. 988 - 1000
• Main Authors: Gebremariam, M. K, Altenburg, T. M, Lakerveld, J, Andersen, L. F, Stronks, K, Chinapaw, M. J, Lien, N
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Blackwell Pub 01-11-2015; Blackwell Publishing Ltd; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior; Adolescent Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; adolescents; Body Mass Index; Child; Child Behavior; Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; children; Correlates; developed countries; education; Feeding Behavior - psychology; Female; health inequalities; Health Status Disparities; Humans; income; ingestion; Male; Parents; Pediatric Obesity - etiology; Pediatric Obesity - prevention & control; Pediatric Obesity - psychology; sedentary behaviour; Sedentary Lifestyle; Social Environment; socioeconomic status; systematic review; Television; youth; sedentary behaviour; health inequalities; Correlates; youth
• ISSN: 1467-7881; 1467-789X
• DOI: 10.1111/obr.12314

Existing research evidence indicates that children and adolescents of parents with a low socioeconomic position spend more time on sedentary behaviour than their counterparts. However, the mechanisms driving these differences remain poorly understood. The main aim of this systematic review was to summarize the evidence regarding the association between socioeconomic position and correlates of sedentary behaviour among youth (0–18 years) from developed countries. The literature search was conducted using MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL and PsycINFO. A total of 37 studies were included. All but three studies examined screen‐based sedentary behaviours only. Methodological quality ranged from low to moderate. Education was the most commonly used indicator of socioeconomic position, followed by income. Socioeconomic position was inversely related to the presence of a TV in the child's bedroom, parental modelling for TV viewing, parental co‐viewing and eating meals in front of the TV. We found no/indeterminate evidence for an association between socioeconomic position and rules and regulations about screen time. The findings suggest possible factors that could be targeted in future intervention studies to decrease screen‐based sedentary behaviour in lower socioeconomic groups in particular.