Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41810921›Full record

ArticleBehavioural neurology2026

Nonlinear Association of Daily Sitting Time With Depression Risk in US Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Zhimao Cai, Hualang Cai, Rui Jia, Hui Peng, Youlian Luo, Jiashuang Lin, Ye Ye, Sixia Chen, Yueqian Wang, Rourou Li and 2 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Behavioural neurology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Zhimao CaiDepartment of General Medicine, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, szu.edu.cn.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0001-6826-2045
Hualang CaiShenzhen University Health Science Center, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, szu.edu.cn.
Rui JiaDepartment of General Medicine, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, szu.edu.cn.
Hui PengDepartment of General Medicine, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, szu.edu.cn.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0536-0913
Youlian LuoDepartment of General Medicine, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, szu.edu.cn.
Jiashuang LinDepartment of General Medicine, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, szu.edu.cn.
Ye YeDepartment of General Medicine, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, szu.edu.cn.
Sixia ChenDepartment of General Medicine, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, szu.edu.cn.
Yueqian WangYanchuan Community Health Service Center, Songgang People's Hospital Baoan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
Rourou LiDepartment of General Medicine, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, szu.edu.cn.
Mengjia ChenDepartment of General Medicine, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, szu.edu.cn.
Weifeng ChenDepartment of General Medicine, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, szu.edu.cn.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0009-4774-1563

Funding

Shenzhen High-level Hospital Construction Project 2023yjlcyj027
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPrevious studies have examined the relationship between daily sitting time and depression, yet the specific dose-response relationship remains unclear.

methodsThis study analyzed data from 29,691 participants in the 2007-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). To delve into the possible nonlinear link between daily sitting time and depression, smooth curve fitting and threshold effect analysis were utilized in the study. Information on daily sitting time was collected through questionnaires, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was employed to measure depression.

resultsIn the fully adjusted Model 3, each additional hour of sitting was associated with a 5% increase in the risk of depression (95% CI: 1.02, 1.07, p = 0.0002). When categorizing daily sitting time, participants who sat for 8 h or more daily exhibited a significantly higher risk of depression across all models. In Model 3, this group had an odds ratio (OR) of 1.37 (95% CI: 1.12, 1.69, p = 0.0039) compared with the reference group sitting for less than 4 h. The threshold effect analysis identified 7 h as the inflection point. Below this threshold, no significant correlation was observed. In contrast, when daily sitting time exceeded the threshold, there was a significant increase in the risk of depression, with an OR of 1.07 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.12, p = 0.0184).

conclusionsA nonlinear association exists between daily sitting time and depression risk in US adults. However, additional research is required to further validate this finding.

Indexed as

DepressionSedentary BehaviorSitting PositionAdultAgedCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNutrition SurveysRisk FactorsSurveys and QuestionnairesTime FactorsUnited Statescross-sectional studydaily sitting timedepressionNHANESnonlinear association

Identifiers

PMID41810921
PMCPMC13580794

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.