Objective This study aims to explore the relationship between daily sedentary time (ST) and the risk of polyvascular disease (PVD) in older adults, as well as to assess the influence of physical activity on this association. Methods This cross-sectional analysis utilizes baseline data from the Polyvascular Evaluation for Cognitive Impairment and Vascular Events (PRECISE), a population-based prospective cohort involving 3067 community-dwelling adults aged 50-75. Daily ST and moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) were categorized into tertiles. Polyvascular lesions in major arteries were examined using computed tomography angiography (CTA) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). PVD was defined as the simultaneous presence of atherosclerotic plaque or stenosis in at least two major vascular territories. Binary regression models were employed to evaluate the associations between daily ST and PVD risk, as well as the moderating effect of MVPA. Results Two thousand five hundred forty-one (82.8%) participants had atherosclerotic plaques and 412 (13.4%) participants had atherosclerotic stenosis in at least two vascular territories. Daily ST was significantly associated with an increased risk of multi-vessel atherosclerotic plaques, with this association remaining robust even after adjusting for potential confounders [OR (Ts3 vs Ts1), 1.77; 95%CI, 1.30-2.42]. The association between daily ST and multi-vessel atherosclerotic stenosis was not observed. Among different arterial territories, daily ST was associated with risk of plaque formation in extracranial [OR (Ts3 vs Ts1), 1.29; 95%CI, 1.00-1.65; p=0.047] and Ilio-femoral [OR (Ts3 vs Ts1), 1.43; 95%CI, 1.08-1.90; p=0.01] arteries, and was significantly associated with the risk of both atherosclerotic plaque [OR (Ts3 vs Ts1), 1.47; 95%CI, 1.09-1.96; p=0.01] and luminal stenosis [OR (Ts3 vs Ts1), 2.06; 95%CI, 1.03-4.11; p=0.04] in renal artery. Notably, the association between prolonged ST and multi-vessel atherosclerotic plaques persisted even among participants with the highest levels of MVPA, indicating that the benefits of physical activity may not fully offset the risks of excessive sitting. Conclusion Prolonged daily ST acts as an independent risk factor for multi-vessel atherosclerotic plaques that is not completely reversible by physical activity, underscoring the importance of reducing sitting time regardless of exercise levels. Three arterial territories were affected by atherosclerosis associated with sedentary behavior, the extracranial, iliofemoral, and renal arteries.

Associations of daily sedentary time and physical activity with risk of polyvascular disease in older adults

期刊论文
出版模式：

开放获取
发表日期：

2026年2月13日

查看全文

Xiaojing Cao,
Shan Li,
Yuesong Pan,
Xueli Cai,
Yiran Hu,
Jing Jing,
Yongjun Wang,
Tiemin Wei,
Zening Jin

摘要

Objective

This study aims to explore the relationship between daily sedentary time (ST) and the risk of polyvascular disease (PVD) in older adults, as well as to assess the influence of physical activity on this association.

Methods

This cross-sectional analysis utilizes baseline data from the Polyvascular Evaluation for Cognitive Impairment and Vascular Events (PRECISE), a population-based prospective cohort involving 3067 community-dwelling adults aged 50-75. Daily ST and moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) were categorized into tertiles. Polyvascular lesions in major arteries were examined using computed tomography angiography (CTA) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). PVD was defined as the simultaneous presence of atherosclerotic plaque or stenosis in at least two major vascular territories. Binary regression models were employed to evaluate the associations between daily ST and PVD risk, as well as the moderating effect of MVPA.

Results

Two thousand five hundred forty-one (82.8%) participants had atherosclerotic plaques and 412 (13.4%) participants had atherosclerotic stenosis in at least two vascular territories. Daily ST was significantly associated with an increased risk of multi-vessel atherosclerotic plaques, with this association remaining robust even after adjusting for potential confounders [OR (T_s3 vs T_s1), 1.77; 95%CI, 1.30-2.42]. The association between daily ST and multi-vessel atherosclerotic stenosis was not observed. Among different arterial territories, daily ST was associated with risk of plaque formation in extracranial [OR (T_s3 vs T_s1), 1.29; 95%CI, 1.00-1.65; p=0.047] and Ilio-femoral [OR (T_s3 vs T_s1), 1.43; 95%CI, 1.08-1.90; p=0.01] arteries, and was significantly associated with the risk of both atherosclerotic plaque [OR (T_s3 vs T_s1), 1.47; 95%CI, 1.09-1.96; p=0.01] and luminal stenosis [OR (T_s3 vs T_s1), 2.06; 95%CI, 1.03-4.11; p=0.04] in renal artery. Notably, the association between prolonged ST and multi-vessel atherosclerotic plaques persisted even among participants with the highest levels of MVPA, indicating that the benefits of physical activity may not fully offset the risks of excessive sitting.

Conclusion

Prolonged daily ST acts as an independent risk factor for multi-vessel atherosclerotic plaques that is not completely reversible by physical activity, underscoring the importance of reducing sitting time regardless of exercise levels. Three arterial territories were affected by atherosclerosis associated with sedentary behavior, the extracranial, iliofemoral, and renal arteries.