Sedentary Time, Heart Rate, and Heart Rate Variability in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies
Purpose: To evaluate if sedentary time (ST) is associated with heart rate (HR) and variability
(HRV) in adults. Methods: We systematically searched PubMed and Google Scholar through June
2020. Inclusion criteria were observational design, humans, adults, English language, ST as the
exposure, resting HR/HRV as the outcome, and (meta-analysis only) availability of the quantitative
association with variability. After qualitative synthesis, meta-analysis used inverse variance heterogeneity models to estimate pooled associations. Results: Thirteen and eight articles met the criteria
for the systematic review and meta-analysis, respectively. All studies were cross-sectional and few
used gold standard ST or HRV assessment methodology. The qualitative synthesis suggested no
associations between ST and HR/HRV. The meta-analysis found a significant association between
ST and HR (β = 0.24 bpm per hour ST; CI: 0.10, 0.37) that was stronger in males (β = 0.36 bpm
per hour ST; CI: 0.19, 0.53). Pooled associations between ST and HRV indices were non-significant
(p > 0.05). Substantial heterogeneity was detected. Conclusions: The limited available evidence suggests an unfavorable but not clinically meaningful association between ST and HR, but no association
with HRV. Future longitudinal studies assessing ST with thigh-based monitoring and HRV with
electrocardiogram are needed.
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