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Recent epidemiologic evidence points to the health risks of prolonged sitting, that are independent of physical activity, but few papers have reported the descriptive epidemiology of sitting in population studies with adults.

This paper reports the prevalence of “high sitting time” and its correlates in an international study in 20 countries.

Representative population samples from 20 countries were collected 2002–2004, and a question was asked on usual weekday hours spent sitting. This question was part of the International Prevalence Study, using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). The sitting measure has acceptable reliability and validity. Daily sitting time was compared among countries, and by age group, gender, educational attainment, and physical activity.

Data were available for 49,493 adults aged 18–65 years from 20 countries. The …