Sedentary behavior (SB) and physical activity (PA) are important risk factors of cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality. In addition to increasing the amount of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), the current PA guidelines recommend that adults should reduce SB, or any waking activity performed while sitting, reclining, or lying, with low energy expenditure. While mounting evidence has emphasized the benefits of increasing MVPA, little has focused on the effect of SB on health. Therefore, this review discusses the pathophysiological effects of SB and the potential physiological benefits of reducing/breaking up SB at the levels below the current guidelines for PA. Such knowledge is important, given that the majority of the United States population performs insufficient or no MVPA and is at high risk of being negatively impacted by SB. Interventions targeting sedentary time, such as breaking up SB by standing and moving, may be safe, feasible, and applicable to execute daily for a wide range of the population. This review also discusses the importance of monitoring SB in the era of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the clinical implications of sitting less and moving more.

久坐行为（SB）和体力活动（PA）是心血管疾病发病率和死亡率的重要危险因素。除了增加中度至高强度 PA (MVPA) 的量外，目前的 PA 指南建议成年人应减少 SB，或在坐着、躺着或躺着时进行的任何清醒活动，并降低能量消耗。虽然越来越多的证据强调了增加 MVPA 的好处，但很少有人关注 SB 对健康的影响。因此，本综述讨论了 SB 的病理生理效应以及在低于当前 PA 指南的水平上减少/分解 SB 的潜在生理益处。这些知识很重要，因为大多数美国人口的 MVPA 表现不足或没有 MVPA，并且受到 SB 负面影响的风险很高。针对久坐时间的干预措施，例如通过站立和移动来打破 SB，可能是安全、可行的，并且适用于每天为广泛的人群执行。本综述还讨论了在 2019 年冠状病毒病 (COVID-19) 大流行时代监测 SB 的重要性以及少坐多动的临床意义。