Effects of Interrupting Sedentary Behavior With Short Bouts of Moderate Physical Activity on Glucose Tolerance in Children With Overweight and Obesity: A Randomized Crossover Trial

Objective: Sedentary children have greater risk of developing abnormalities in glucose homeostasis. We investigated whether interrupting sedentary behavior (sitting) with very short periods of walking would improve glucose metabolism without affecting dietary intake in children with overweight or obesity. We hypothesized that interrupting sitting with short bouts of moderate-intensity walking would decrease insulin area under the curve (AUC) during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) compared with uninterrupted sitting.

Research Design And Methods: Overweight/obese (BMI ≥85th percentile) children 7-11 years of age underwent two experimental conditions in random order: prolonged sitting (3 h of continuous sitting) and interrupted sitting (3 min of moderate-intensity walking at 80% of ventilatory threshold every 30 min for 3 h). Insulin, C-peptide, and glucose were measured every 30 min for 3 h during an OGTT. Each session was followed by a buffet meal. Primary outcomes were differences in OGTT hormones and substrates and in buffet meal intake by condition.

Results: Among 35 children with complete data, mixed-model results identified lower insulin and C-peptide in the interrupted condition ( = 0.007 and = 0.029, respectively); the intervention reduced insulin AUC by 21% ( < 0.001) and C-peptide AUC 18% ( = 0.001) and improved estimated insulin sensitivity ( = 0.013). Neither buffet total energy intake (1,262 480 vs. 1,260 475 kcal; = 0.89) nor macronutrient composition of the meal ( values >0.38) differed between conditions significantly.

Conclusions: Interrupting sitting with brief moderate-intensity walking improved glucose metabolism without significantly increasing energy intake in children with overweight or obesity. Interrupting sedentary behavior may be a promising intervention strategy for reducing metabolic risk in such children.