To reduce sedentary time, you may need a more active friend

A newly developed mathematical model combines the effects of social interactions on community exercise trends to show that interacting with moderately exercised people can influence sedentary people to become more active
.
Ensela Mema of Kean University in New Jersey and her colleagues published the findings
in an open access journal.

In 2018, the U.
S.
Department of Health and Human Services released evidence-based guidance outlining recommended types and amounts of physical activity to promote health benefits
for diverse U.
S.
populations.
However, trends at the national population level indicate that there has been little improvement
in the implementation of these recommendations.

To help address this, Mema and his colleagues draw on previous research showing that social interaction with peers plays a key role
in promoting physical activity within the community.
Based on this knowledge, they developed a mathematical model that simulates how social interactions affect the movement trends
of a crowd over time.
The model integrates data
from the U.
S.
Military Academy.

Model simulations show that in the absence of social interaction, people experience a decrease in long-term physical activity individuals, and sedentary behavior begins to predominate
.
However, when simulating social interactions between people who included sedentary and moderate exercise, sedentary people became more positive
in the long term.
Still, in the simulations, moderately exercised people were sedentary for longer periods of time, and overall physical activity trends declined
dramatically.

While these simulations have not been validated by real-world data, the researchers say they provide new insights that could inform public health efforts to increase levels of physical activity in communities
.
The researchers listed some suggestions for this effort, such as social activities
designed to promote interaction between sedentary and moderately active people.

The researchers note that these simulations could also inform
U.
S.
troops' efforts to stay healthy.
However, they say more research is needed to better understand the balance
between those who encourage sedentary exercise and those who maintain moderate exercise.

The authors add: "Traditionally, we have guided physical activity interventions
by making sedentary people more active.
Our model suggests that people who focus on moderate exercise to maintain their movement and increase their interaction with sedentary people can stimulate higher levels of overall physical activity
in the population.
”