Previous epidemiologic studies assessed the association
between sedentary behaviors and BP, with inconsistent
results. The McGill University Study on the Natural History
of Nicotine Dependence in Teens, which followed
1267 Canadian adolescents for 5 years, pointed to a direct
association between sedentary behaviors, measured by
combining hours reported for television viewing, computer
games, and Internet use, and high systolic BP,
though this was not statistically significant.16 The relatively
small sample size and short follow-up might account
for the lack of statistical significance. In the
Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults
(CARDIA) Study, TV viewing was not associated with the
prevalence of HTN among 4280 young adults.17 Finally,
another cross-sectional analysis of 15,515 participants in
the EPIC-Norfolk cohort found a direct association between
hours of TV viewing and levels of systolic and
diastolic BP.8