Jason Bennie

Prolonged sitting is an emerging health risk. However, multi-country comparative sitting data are sparse. This paper reports the prevalence and correlates of sitting time in 32 European countries. Data from the Eurobarometer 64.3 study were used, which included nationally representative samples (n = 304-1,102) from 32 European countries. Face-to-fa...

Background The current Australia's Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines recommend that adults engage in regular moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) and strength training (ST), and minimise time spent in sedentary behaviours (SB). However, evidence about the specific individual and concurrent distribution of these...

OBJECTIVE:The current Australian Physical Activity Guidelines recommend that adults engage in regular muscle-strengthening activity (e.g. strength or resistance training). However, public health surveillance studies describing the patterns and trends of population-level muscle-strengthening activity participation are sparse. The aim of this study i...

The Finnish recommendations for health-enhancing physical activity (PA) for adults (≥18 years) recommend: (i) ≥150 minutes of moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA); and (ii) activities that develop muscle strength and balance ≥2 days per week. However, adherence to these recommendations among the Finnish adults is currently unknow...

Aim: To investigate the joint effects of physical activity (PA) and body mass index (BMI) on prevalent diabetes mellitus in a nationally representative sample of US adults. Materials and Methods: Data were pooled from five US Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) surveys from 2011 to 2019. Cross-sectional associations between independe...

Background Physical inactivity is a significant public health concern associated with numerous adverse health outcomes and substantial economic costs. This study describes the prevalence, trends and correlates for adherence to moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) guidelines among a large sample of U.S. adults. Methods Data from the 2011,...

Background: While previous studies indicate muscle-strengthening exercises may reduce mortality risk, further research is needed to increase certainty of the evidence. We investigated overall and dose-response associations between weight training and the risks of all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer mortality in a large cohort of old...

Epidemiological evidence links muscle-strengthening exercise (MSE: using weights or own bodyweight) to a reduced risk of non-communicable diseases. However, few studies have examined factors that influence MSE participation beyond frequency. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate likely factors influencing MSE participation, including three com...

Background Malnutrition is considered a major public health challenge and is associated with a range of health issues, including childhood stunting. Stunting is a reliable and well-recognized indicator of chronic childhood malnutrition. The objective of this study is to determine the risk factors associated with stunting among 17,490 children below...

The Physical Activity Guidelines recommend performing 150 min of moderate- to vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity (MVPA) per week. These guidelines also recommend muscle-strengthening physical activity (MSPA) on ≥2 d·wk−1 for additional benefits including muscular fitness and bone health. The majority of the scientific evidence supporting...

Introduction This study aimed to systematically review and meta-analyze the relationship between resistance training and all-cause, cardiovascular disease, and cancer mortality. Methods Systematic review and meta-analysis following PRISMA guidelines (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews Registration Number CRD42019136654) was c...

Background: Physical activity (PA) and sleep duration have established associations with health outcomes individually but tend to co-occur and may be better targeted jointly. This study aimed to describe the cross-sectional prevalence, trends, and population characteristic correlates of activity-sleep patterns in a population-representative sample...

Background: Clinical evidence shows that muscle-strengthening exercise (MSE) is important for the treatment and management of hypertension. However, the links between MSE and hypertension in epidemiological research are currently poorly understood. This study examines the association between MSE duration and volume with clinically assessed hyperte...

Objectives Muscle-strengthening exercise (MSE) has multiple independent health benefits and is a component of global physical activity guidelines. However, the assessment of MSE in health surveillance is often limited to the constructs of frequency (days/week), with little focus on constructs such as MSE type, muscle groups targeted and intensity....

Objectives Muscle-strengthening exercise (MSE) has multiple health benefits and is part of the global physical activity guidelines. However, with epidemiological research largely focussing on participation frequency (times/week), little is known about the health associations of other parameters. Hence, this study aimed to determine if MSE duration...

Background Malnutrition is considered to be a major public health challenge, which is associated with a range of health issues, including childhood stunting. Stunting is a reliable and well-recognized indicator of chronic childhood malnutrition. The objective of this study is to determine the effects of parental education and wealth on different sp...

Background: Compared with engaging in aerobic physical activity (aerobic PA; eg, walking, running, cycling) or muscle-strengthening exercise (MSE; eg, weight/resistance training) alone, epidemiological evidence suggests that combining both is linked to better health. However, the assessment of both PA modes is rare in health surveillance. This art...

Objectives Muscle-strengthening activity (MSE e.g. push-ups, sit-ups, use of weight machines) is linked to multiple health benefits for youth, and is part of the global physical activity guidelines for children and adolescents (5–17 years). However, MSE is rarely assessed in youth health surveillance. This study describes the longitudinal trends an...

Aims This study aimed to describe the prevalence and socio-demographic and lifestyle-related correlates of muscle-strengthening activity (MSA; strength/resistance training, sit-ups/push-ups, etc.) among a large sample of European adolescents. Methods Data were drawn from the European Health Interview Survey Wave 2 (2013–2014), including 8818 adole...

Background Obesity is a significant and growing public health problem in high-income countries. Little is known about the relationship between resistance exercise (RE), alone and in combination with aerobic exercise (AE), and the risk of developing obesity. The purpose of this prospective cohort study was to examine the associations between differe...

Background: Accumulating high levels of sedentary behaviour has been linked to poor health outcomes. This study examined the feasibility and preliminary, short-term effects of a theory-based intervention aimed at reducing total and prolonged sedentary behaviour in University students. Design: A quasi-experimental (pre-post) pilot study. Methods: Ni...

Background Physical activity is often associated with better mental health. However, there is evidence that the domain of physical activity influences the strength and direction of this association. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the associations between different domains of physical activity and depression among a large sample of adults li...

There is strong scientific evidence that muscle-strengthening exercise (i.e. use of weight machines, push-ups, sit-ups) is independently associated with a reduced risk of multiple chronic diseases (e.g. diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease). However, prevalence rates for meeting the muscle-strengthening exercise guideline (≥2 times/week)...

Despite the 2016 German ‘National Recommendations for Physical Activity and Physical Activity Promotion’ stating that adults (≥18 years) should engage in: [i] ≥150 minutes of aerobic moderate‐to‐vigorous‐intensity physical activity/week (MVPA); and [ii] ≥2 days/week of muscle‐strengthening exercise (MSE), there is limited research on the descriptiv...

Background: Automated wearable cameras present a new opportunity to accurately assess human behavior. However, this technology is seldom used in the study of adolescent's screen exposure, and the field is reliant on poor-quality self-report data. Objective: This study aimed to examine adolescents' screen exposure by categorizing the type and con...

BACKGROUND Automated wearable cameras present a new opportunity to accurately assess human behavior. However, this technology is seldom used in the study of adolescent’s screen exposure, and the field is reliant on poor-quality self-report data. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to examine adolescents’ screen exposure by categorizing the type and context...

Limited data are available on physical activity tracking among adults in low- and middle-income countries. Using a longitudinal design, we assessed trends and correlates of physical activity among Sri Lankan adults. Individuals selected through age-stratified random sampling, were screened initially in 2007 (n = 2986) and reevaluated in 2014 (n = 2...

Background Emerging epidemiological evidence suggests that compared to engaging in 1 activity mode alone, a combination of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA: walking/jogging, cycling) and muscle-strengthening exercise (MSE: push-ups/sit-ups, using weight machines) has more favorable associations with optimal weight status. Howe...

Objectives: German national physical activity guidelines specify adults (≥18 years) should engage in at least: (i) 150 minutes of aerobic moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity/week (MVPA); and (ii) muscle-strengthening exercise (MSE) 2 days/week. However, the relationship between MVPA and MSE and overweight/obesity has not been examined...

This current opinion provides an overview of the emerging discipline of muscle-strengthening exercise epidemiology. First, we define muscle-strengthening exercise, and discuss its recent addition into the global physical activity guidelines, which were historically mainly focused on aerobic physical activity (walking, running, cycling etc.). Second...

Issue addressed: Screen time, a highly prevalent behaviour, can be detrimental to adolescent health. To better understand this health-related behaviour, this study explores the nature of adolescents’ contemporary screen engagement, adding to the currently limited body of qualitative research in this area. Methods: Sixteen adolescents (9 girls and...

Objective Muscle-strengthening exercise (use of weight machines, free weights, push-ups, sit-ups), has multiple independent health benefits, and is a component of the Global physical activity guidelines. However, there is currently a lack of multi-country muscle-strengthening exercise prevalence studies. This study describes the prevalence and corr...

Regular physical activity is a key modifiable non-pharmacological treatment to enhance sleep quality, a key predictor of optimal health and wellbeing. Most of the evidence on physical activity and sleep quality is based on studies assessing the effects of aerobic moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (e.g. brisk walking, cycling, jogging). Emergin...

ABSTRACT Objectives: Evidence demonstrates that physical activity is favourably associated with indicators of sleep health. However, population-based studies rarely examine the relationship between different physical activity modalities (i.e., aerobic exercise vs. muscle‐strengthening exercise) with components of sleep health. Methods: Cross‐sect...

The longitudinal trends of screen time, a highly prevalent behavior in adolescents, are relatively unknown. This study examined longitudinal trends in screen time among a large sample of Australian primary school-aged children transitioning into secondary school-aged adolescence. Data were derived from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children...

Background: There is increasing interest in the association between psychological distress and time spent in sedentary behaviour (e.g. sitting), a highly prevalent behaviour in modern society. The limited evidence is mixed and mainly based on studies using self-reported sedentary time. Few studies have investigated device-based total sedentary tim...

Background Clinical exercise interventions show that combining moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) and muscle strengthening exercise (MSE) has more favourable cardiometabolic health benefits than engaging in only one mode of physical activity. However, few studies have examined these associations among community-based samples an...

// Full-text available at https://rdcu.be/b6ou7 // Background: Several national public health guidelines recommend individuals to minimize time spent in prolonged, continuous periods of sitting. Developing effective interventions to break up sitting, however, requires in-depth understanding of the behavior as well as identification of the key eleme...

Purpose We aimed to explore associations between guideline-concordant muscle-strengthening activity (MSA) and demographic, biological, psychosocial, and behavioral factors among Australian adolescents. Methods We used baseline data from the ‘Resistance Training for Teens’ cluster randomized controlled trial (collected April–June 2015). Adolescents...

Background: Recent evidence suggests that work-related physical activity may not have the same mental health benefits as leisure-time physical activity. Further, work-related physical activity is likely to include a variety of different behaviours for people with different occupations. As such, the aim of this study was to determine if occupation...

Purpose: High levels of screen time can be detrimental to adolescent health. However, many Australian adolescents are currently exceeding national screen time guidelines (≤2h/day). Public health concerns may rise, especially now that technology and digital media is increasingly part of the adolescent landscape. However, there are few longitudinal s...

Excessive use of screen-based devices can be detrimental for child and adolescent health. While epidemiological reviews have been focusing on traditional screen-based activities (e.g., television, computer use), the availability of newer screen-based devices (e.g., mobile phones, tablets) has increased considerably in recent years. However, there i...

Background: Muscle-strengthening exercise (MSE) is a component of the World Health Organization's "2010 Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health." However, its participation trends are seldom examined in physical activity surveillance. This study describes the prevalence, trends, and correlates of MSE among a large sample of US adult...

Background: There is strong epidemiological evidence that physical activity is associated with lower likelihood of depression. Yet, most existing large population studies have investigated aerobic physical activity (e.g. walking/running), with few epidemiological studies examining the association between muscle-strengthening exercise (MSE; push up...

Background: Clinical evidence suggests that muscle-strengthening exercise (using weight machines/body weight exercises) may be an important antihypertensive lifestyle therapy. However, epidemiological research on the association between muscle-strengthening exercise and hypertension is limited. We conducted the first population-level study describ...

// Full-text available at: https://rdcu.be/b0HXK // Abstract: Accumulating high volumes of sedentary behaviour is a risk factor for multiple negative health-related outcomes. The objective of this review was to synthesise the evidence on the levels of sedentary behaviour in university students. Screened records from 13 databases were included if (...

Background: Research has shown that regular physical activity is key for the prevention and/or treatment of depression. However, epidemiological studies describing the associations between different physical activity modes (i.e., aerobic vs. muscle-strengthening exercise) with depression are limited. Methods: Cross-sectional analyses were conduc...

Background The German ‘National Recommendations for Physical Activity and Physical Activity Promotion’ state that adults (≥18 years) should engage in: [i] ≥150 minutes of aerobic moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity/week (MVPA); and [ii] ≥2 days/week of muscle-strengthening exercise (MSE). However, there is limited research on the adher...

Background The German ‘ National Recommendations for Physical Activity and Physical Activity Promotion ’ state that adults (≥18 years) should engage in: [i] ≥150 minutes of aerobic moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity/week (MVPA); and [ii] ≥2 days/week of muscle-strengthening exercise (MSE). However, there is limited research on the adh...

The development in research concerning sedentary behaviour has been rapid over the past two decades. This has led to the development of evidence and views that have become more advanced, diverse and, possibly, contentious. These include the effects of standing, the breaking up of prolonged sitting and the role of moderate-to-vigorous physical activ...

Objective: Both aerobic physical activity and muscle-strengthening exercise are recommended for obesity prevention. However, at the population level, the independent and/or combined associations of these physical activity modalities with obesity are unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between aerobic physical activity an...

The aims of this commentary are to (1) examine the current global physical activity recommendations for adults and its relation to mental health, based on findings from meta-analyses primarily of prospective studies, and (2) determine whether there is a need to extend the scope/focus of existing guidelines to ensure they are mental health informed.

Background The World Health Organization’s ‘Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health’ state that adults should engage in regular moderate-to-vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity (MVPA; e.g. walking, running, cycling) and muscle-strengthening activity (MSA; e.g. strength/resistance training). However, assessment of both MVPA an...

For the prevention and management of chronic diseases, global physical activity guidelines state that an adult should engage in regular moderate-to-vigorous aerobic physical activity (MVPA; e.g. walking, cycling, running) and muscle-strengthening exercise (MSE; e.g. strength/resistance training). However, the associations between combined MVPA-MSE...

Background: Clinical exercise interventions show that combining moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) and muscle strengthening exercise (MSE) has more favourable cardiometabolic health benefits than engaging in only one mode of physical activity. However, few studies have examined these associations among community-basedsamples an...

Background: The availability of different types of screen-based devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets) has increased considerably in recent years. However, there is limited understanding on the time-use of these newer screen-based devices among young people, in addition to whether they contribute towards ‘excessive’ total screen time (>2h/day). The a...

Introduction Although muscle-strengthening exercise has multiple independent health benefits, little is known about muscle-strengthening exercise participation and associations with adverse health conditions among U.S. adults. Methods In 2017, data were analyzed from the U.S. 2015 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. During telephone survey...

Background: Health inequities could increase if utilisation of physical activity interventions is lower among socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. We examined associations between area level socioeconomic disadvantage and utilisation of Australian government-subsidised, general practitioner (GP)-referred, accredited exercise physiologist (AEPs)...

Purpose: There is currently no standardized testing protocol for assessing clients' fitness/health within the Australian fitness industry. This study examined the perceptions of the feasibility of using a standardized testing protocol among Australian fitness industry professionals. Method: In 2014, 1,206 registered fitness industry professional...

Background: The number of deaths per year attributed to non-communicable diseases is increasing in low- and middle-income countries, including Thailand. To facilitate the development of evidence-based public health programs and policies in Thailand, research on physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) is needed. The aims of this scoping...

Objectives: Fitness industry professionals (personal trainers, group instructors) may have a role in health promotion, particularly when working with subgroups with known health risks (e.g. older adults, obese). The aim of this study is to examine fitness professionals' level of interest in engaging with high-risk populations. Study design: Cros...

Prolonged sitting has been linked to adverse health outcomes; therefore, we developed and examined a web-based, computer-tailored workplace sitting intervention. As we had previously shown good effectiveness, the next stage was to conduct a dissemination study. This study reports on the dissemination efforts of a health promotion organisation, asso...

Introduction: Time-use in television viewing and computer use among young people has been extensively reported over the last several decades. The availability of different types of screen-based devices (e.g. tablets, smartphones, gaming consoles) has increased considerably in recent years. However, there is limited understanding on the time-use of...

Objectives The aim of this study was to compare the characteristics of users of holistic movement practices in Australia to people who were physically active but not using holistic movement practices. A second aim was to compare characteristics of users of specific holistic movement practices (yoga/Pilates and t'ai chi/qigong). Design We performed...

Background No systematic reviews of the effectiveness of interventions for reducing non-occupational sedentary behaviour are available. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review was to assess the effectiveness of interventions for reducing non-occupational sedentary behaviour in adults and older adults. Methods An electronic search of nine data...

Objective Prolonged sitting is a health risk factor which is ubiquitous to the workplace, and breaking up prolonged sitting is widely recommended. This study evaluated the test-retest reliability and concurrent validity of a self-report measure of duration of sitting and breaks from sitting in the workplace. Design Cross-sectional study. Methods...

Public health guidance includes strength-promoting exercise (SPE) but there is little evidence on its links with mortality. Using data from the Health Survey for England (HSE) and Scottish Health Survey (SHS) from 1994-2008 we examined the associations between SPE (gym-based and own bodyweight strength activities) and all-cause, cancer, and cardiov...

Objectives Assessment and monitoring of client health and fitness is a key part of fitness professionals’ practices. However, little is known about prevalence of this practice. This study describes the assessment/monitoring practices of a large sample of Australian fitness professionals. Design Cross-sectional. Methods In 2014, 1,206 fitness prof...

Background In recent decades, the evidence supporting the physical and mental health benefits of holistic movement practices such as yoga and t’ai chi have become increasingly established. Consequently, investigating the participation prevalence and patterns of these practices is a relevant pursuit in the public health field. Few studies have provi...

Purpose of review: The aim of this paper is to assess the association between sedentary behaviours, including screen time, and risk of obesity in adults. A review of 10 systematic reviews was undertaken. Recent findings: Available evidence is generally not supportive of associations between sedentary behaviour and obesity in adults. Most studies...

Background: Muscle-strengthening activity (MSA) (e.g. weight training), confers unique health benefits. While socioeconomic status (SES) correlates with leisure time physical activity, little is known about its relation with MSA. Methods: Cross-sectional study of a representative sample of 8993 Australian adults (>18years) who participated in th...

Few studies have examined the sources of practice knowledge fitness trainers use to inform their training methods and update knowledge. This study aims to describe sources of practice knowledge among Australian fitness trainers. In July 2014, 9100 Australian fitness trainers were invited to complete an online survey. Respondents reported the freque...

Background: Sedentary behaviours (time spent sitting, with low energy expenditure) are associated with deleterious health outcomes, including all-cause mortality. Whether this association can be considered causal has yet to be established. Using systematic reviews and primary studies from those reviews, we drew upon Bradford Hill's criteria to con...

Background Leisure-time physical activity and strength training participation levels are low and socioeconomically distributed. Fitness trainers (e.g. gym/group instructors) may have a role in increasing these participation levels. However, it is not known whether the training location and characteristics of Australian fitness trainers vary between...

Introduction The World Health Organization physical activity guidelines recommend that adults aged 18-64 years do ≥150 minutes of moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) and ≥2 sessions of muscle strengthening exercises (MSE) per week (WHO, 2010). However, population studies rarely report on the prevalence of adults meeting the comb...

Objective: To describe the total and domain-specific daily sitting time among a sample of Australian office-based employees. Methods: In April 2010, paper-based surveys were provided to desk-based employees (n=801) in Victoria, Australia. Total daily and domain-specific (work, leisure-time and transport-related) sitting time (minutes/day) were ass...

Background Breaks in prolonged sitting may have beneficial cardiometabolic and musculoskeletal health outcomes. Desk-based work settings are an important environment to promote and support breaks in sitting time. However, few studies have reported the psychometric properties of self-report measures to assess the frequency and duration of breaks fro...

Introduction: Emerging evidence suggests that individuals who regularly engage in high volumes of sitting time or other sedentary behaviours such as, watching TV, may be at an increased risk of all-cause and disease-specific mortality and chronic disease incidence (e.g. diabetes, cardiovascular disease). Sitting occurs in multiple domains and conte...

The Na+,K+-ATPase (NKA) plays a fundamental role in the regulation of skeletal muscle membrane Na+ and K+ gradients, excitability and fatigue during repeated intense contractions. Many studies have investigated the effects of acute concentric exercise on K+ regulation and skeletal muscle NKA, but almost nothing is known about the effects of repeate...

This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine domain-specific physical activity (PA) levels and their relationship with self-rated health, socio-demographic and lifestyle characteristics among Croatian university students. The data were collected using self-administered questionnaires on a random sample of 1,254 students (62.4% females) liv...