| Abstract: | Background: Kidney diseases were viewed as continuously progressing from microalbuminuria, chronic kidney disease (CKD), end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and deaths. The report of the association between prolonged sitting and kidney diseases is limited. Methods: We examined a cohort of 455,506 participants in a screening program in Taiwan conducted between 1996 and 2017. Data on occupational sedentary behavior and physical activity were collected with a standardized questionnaire. The outcomes of ESRD and death were identified by linking with the Registry of Dialysis and Cause of Death Data. The association between prolonged sitting and CKD, the incident of ESRD, and death were assessed using a logistic regression model to compute odds ratios (ORs) and Cox proportional hazards model for hazard ratios (HRs). Results: More than half of the participants, 265,948 (58.4%), were categorized as “prolonged sitting” during their work. During the median 13 years of follow-up, we identified 2,227 individuals undergoing dialysis and 25,671 deaths. Occupational prolonged sitting was significantly associated with a higher risk of CKD (OR: 1.26, 95% confidence interval: 1.21, 1.31), ESRD (HR: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.38), and kidney-specific mortality (HR: 1.43, 95% CI: 1.07, 1.91) compared to mostly standing participants after controlling for physical activity and other risk factors. Inactive prolonged sitting carries a significantly higher risk of ESRD than physically active, mostly standing participants (HR: 1.34, 1.04, 1.73). However, active prolonged sitting decreased ESRD risk (HR: 1.03, 95% CI: 0.79, 1.34) compared to inactive prolonged sitting. Conclusions: The results suggest that prolonged sitting is associated with a greater risk of kidney diseases, independent of physical activity. Given the pervasive nature of prolonged sitting, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, decreasing the amount of time spent sitting can be a modifiable behavior to lower the risk of kidney diseases. |
