Increased sedentary time is associated with an increased risk of polypharmacy according to a recently published large national study of adults (>20 yrs) in the United States.
Research has shown that there is an inverse relationship between participation in physical activity and polypharmacy (use of 5 or more medications). Researchers from the University of North Florida in Jacksonville wanted to better understand the relationship between sedentary time and polypharmacy. Their study sample included 2,879 nonpregnant adults who participated in the 2017–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Self-reported minutes per day of sedentary time were converted to hours per day.
The analysis found that for every hour of sedentary time, there was 4% greater odds of polypharmacy (odds ratio, 1.04; 95% confidence interval, 1.00-1.07, P = 0.4) after adjustments.
Source: Boyne CA, Johnson TM, Toth LP, et al. Sedentary time and prescription medication use among US adults: 2017–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. J Phys Act Health. 2023;20(10):921-925. https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.2023-0022.
