• Chen Zheng, Wendy Ya-Jun Huang, Feng-Hua Sun, Martin Chi-Sang Wong, Parco Ming-Fai Siu, Xiang-Ke Chen, and Stephen Heung-Sang Wong.
• Department of Sports Science and Physical Education, Faculty of Education, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Sha Tin, Hong Kong, China; Department of Health and Physical Education, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, The Education University of Hong Kong, Tai Po, Hong Kong, China.
• Am. J. Med. 2023 Dec 17.

BackgroundEvidence suggests that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) survivors could experience COVID-19 sequelae. Although various risk factors for COVID-19 sequelae have been identified, little is known about whether a sedentary lifestyle is an independent risk factor.MethodsIn this retrospective cohort study, 4850 participants self-reported their COVID-19 sequelae symptoms between June and August 2022. A sedentary lifestyle included physical inactivity (<150 min/week of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity) and prolonged sedentary behavior (≥10 h/day) before the fifth COVID-19 wave was recorded. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the relationships between sedentary lifestyle and risk of acute and post-acute (lasting ≥2 months) COVID-19 sequelae.ResultsA total of 1443 COVID-19 survivors and 2962 non-COVID-19 controls were included. Of the COVID-19 survivors, >80% and >40% self-reported acute and post-acute COVID-19 sequelae, respectively. In the post-acute phase, COVID-19 survivors who were physically inactive had a 37% lower risk of insomnia, whereas those with prolonged sedentary behavior had 25%, 67%, and 117% higher risks of at least one symptom, dizziness, and "pins and needles" sensation, respectively. For the acute phase, prolonged sedentary behavior was associated with a higher risk of fatigue, "brain fog," dyspnea, muscle pain, joint pain, dizziness, and "pins and needles" sensation. Notably, sedentary behavior, rather than physical inactivity, was correlated with a higher risk of severe post-COVID-19 sequelae in both acute and post-acute phases.ConclusionsProlonged sedentary behavior was independently associated with a higher risk of both acute and post-acute COVID-19 sequelae, whereas physical inactivity played contradictory roles in COVID-19 sequelae.Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

7 keywords...

hide…