Take a STAND 4 Health: A Sedentary Behavior Reduction Intervention

There is emerging evidence that an excessive amount of sitting is linked with an increased risk of negative health outcomes independent of an individual's physical activity levels. This is concerning considering data indicate Americans spend over half of the waking day engaged in sedentary activities, and that individuals who are overweight or obese and/or have a chronic disease such as hypertension are likely to have an even higher level of sedentary behavior. A limited number of experimental studies have looked at the effects of reducing sitting time on blood pressure and have shown promise. However, these studies lasted for only a day, so it is unclear how reducing sedentary time may influence blood pressure over a longer duration. The purpose of this study is to look the relationships between the amount of time a person spends sitting and their blood pressure and examine whether decreasing sedentary behavior helps improve blood pressure. The study employs the use of coaching calls and a mobile health (mHealth) intervention to reduce the sedentary behavior of participants through strategies such as prompting, feedback, and counseling.