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Behavior, Psychology and Sociology

The relationships between prolonged sedentary time, physical activity, cognitive control, and P3 in adults with overweight and obesity

International Journal of Obesity volume 45, pages 746–757 (2021)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/objectives

To assess the relationships between daily sedentary time (ST), prolonged ST, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and behavioral and neuroelectric indices of cognitive control in adults with overweight and obesity (OW/OB).

Subjects/methods

A cross-sectional design was used. Overall, 89 adults (BMI = 31.9 ± 4.9 kg/m2) provided measures of ST, prolonged ST (i.e., ST accumulated in ≥20 min), and MVPA from a hip-worn accelerometer worn over 7 days. Inhibitory control was measured with a modified Eriksen flanker task and cognitive flexibility with task switching. The amplitude and the latency of the P3 component of event-related potentials during each task were used as measures of attentional resource allocation and information processing speed, respectively.

Results

After adjusting for ST and MVPA, prolonged ST was related to greater interference (i.e., a larger decrement in accuracy between congruent and incongruent trials of the flanker task) indicative of a specific relationship between prolonged ST and poorer inhibitory control. Before adjusting for ST, MVPA was related to a smaller Global Switch Cost expressed as larger (more positive) amplitude of the P3 difference wave (mixed-task minus single-task condition of the switch task). Adjustment for ST attenuated this association to non-significance.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that future interventions focused on improving inhibitory control in adults with OW/OB should target restructuring ST in addition to current efforts to increase MVPA.

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Fig. 1: The relationship between prolonged sedentary time and interference accuracy on the flanker task.
Fig. 2: The relationship between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and Global Switch Cost expressed as the mean amplitude of the P3 difference wave.
Fig. 3: Descriptive differences in Global Switch Cost of the P3 amplitude between higher and lower moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) groups.

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Funding

Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, the University of Illinois; the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Hatch project 1009249. Additional support: the Hass Avocado Board (Institutional Award Number 079273). We thank the study participants.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA

    Dominika M. Pindus, Ginger Reeser, Nicholas A. Burd, Hannah D. Holscher & Naiman A. Khan

  2. Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA

    Dominika M. Pindus

  3. Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA

    Dominika M. Pindus & Naiman A. Khan

  4. Department of Nutritional Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA

    Caitlyn G. Edwards

  5. Department of Psychology, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL, USA

    Anne M. Walk

  6. Division of Nutritional Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA

    Nicholas A. Burd, Hannah D. Holscher & Naiman A. Khan

  7. Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA

    Hannah D. Holscher & Naiman A. Khan

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  1. Dominika M. Pindus
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Correspondence to Dominika M. Pindus.

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HDH and NAK report grants from the Hass Avocado Board, during the study. All other authors have nothing to disclose.

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Pindus, D.M., Edwards, C.G., Walk, A.M. et al. The relationships between prolonged sedentary time, physical activity, cognitive control, and P3 in adults with overweight and obesity. Int J Obes 45, 746–757 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-020-00734-w

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