Associations of overall sitting time and TV viewing time with fibrinogen and C reactive protein: the AusDiab study

Background/aim Sedentary behaviour is associated with increased risk for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Plasma fibrinogen and C reactive protein (CRP)-key inflammatory and/or haemostatic markers-may contribute to this association; however, few studies have examined their relationships with sedentary behaviours. We examined associations of overall sitting and TV viewing time with fibrinogen and high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP). Methods Plasma fibrinogen and hsCRP were measured in 3086 Australian adults (mean age: 55 +/- 12 years) who participated in the 2004-2005 AusDiab (Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle) study. Multiple linear regression analyses examined cross-sectional associations of self-reported overall sitting and TV viewing time (h/day) with plasma fibrinogen and hsCRP, adjusting for sociodemographic, behavioural and medical treatments and conditions as potential covariates. Results Overall sitting time and TV viewing time were positively associated with plasma fibrinogen (sitting: beta: 0.02 g/L, 95% CI (0.01 to 0.02); TV time: 0.03 g/L (0.02 to 0.05)) and hsCRP (sitting: 2.4% (1.2% to 3.6%); TV time: 4.5% (1.7% to 7.4%)). Associations were independent of leisure-time physical activity, but after adjusting for waist circumference, they remained for fibrinogen, but for hsCRP were attenuated to the null. Interactions were observed for genderxTV (p=0.011) with fibrinogen (associations in women only) and for waist circumferencexTV (p=0.084) with hsCRP (associations in low-risk only). Conclusions Overall sitting time was positively associated with plasma fibrinogen and hsCRP in men and women; associations of TV viewing time with fibrinogen were observed in women only. Abdominal adiposity-mediated associations for hsCRP but not for fibrinogen. Prospective and intervention studies are needed to establish likely causality and elucidate potential mechanisms.