Reallocating time between device-measured 24-hour activities and cardiovascular risk in Asian American immigrant women: An isotemporal substitution model

by Chorong Park, Britta Larsen, Simona C. Kwon, Yuhe Xia, Marianna LaNoue, Victoria V. Dickson, Harmony R. Reynolds, Tanya M. Spruill

The 24-hour day consists of physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior, and sleep, and changing the time spent on one activity affects the others. Little is known about the impact of such changes on cardiovascular risk, particularly in Asian American immigrant (AAI) women, who not only have a higher cardiovascular risk but also place greater cultural value on family and domestic responsibilities compared to other racial/ethnic groups. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of reallocating 30 minutes of each 24-hour activity component for another on BMI, waist circumference, and blood pressure in AAI women. Seventy-five AAI women completed 7 days of hip and wrist actigraphy monitoring and were included in the analysis (age = 61.5±8.0 years, BMI = 25.5±3.6 kg/m², waist circumference = 85.9±10.2 cm). Sleep was identified from wrist actigraphy data, and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), light PA, and sedentary behavior identified from hip actigraphy data. On average, the women spent 0.5 hours in MVPA, 6.2 hours in light PA, 10 hours in sedentary activities, and 5.3 hours sleeping within a 24-hour day. According to the isotemporal substitution models, replacing 30 minutes of sedentary behavior with MVPA reduced BMI by 1.4 kg/m² and waist circumference by 4.0 cm. Replacing that same sedentary time with sleep reduced BMI by 0.5 kg/m² and waist circumference by 1.4 cm. Replacing 30 minutes of light PA with MVPA decreased BMI by 1.6 kg/m² and waist circumference by 4.3 cm. Replacing 30 minutes of light PA with sleep also reduced BMI by 0.8 kg/m² and waist circumference by 1.7 cm. However, none of the behavioral substitutions affected blood pressure. Considering AAI women’s short sleep duration, replacing their sedentary time with sleep might be a feasible strategy to reduce their BMI and waist circumference.