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Sedentary behaviour

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Learn more about the measures of sedentary behaviour across selected CLOSER studies

See the ‘Sedentary behaviours’ section for background detail on this domain of physical activity.

Sedentary behaviour was measured at ages ranging from 3y to 44y with data collected across MCS, ALSPAC, BCS70, NCDS, and NSHD. These measures centred on engagement with electronic devices including TV/video/DVD, computer or electronic gaming, general computer use, and internet use, with recall typically divided into weekdays and weekends.

Click to see the cross-study data availability and comparability for each sedentary behaviour subdomain:


Time spent watching TV

MCS 3y, 5y, 7y, 14y, ALSPAC 3y, 4y, 5y, 6y, 8y, 13y, 16y, 22y, BCS70 5y, and 16y have asked similar questions on frequency of TV consumption during childhood/early adulthood although questions vary slightly across ages (i.e. MCS 7: “On a normal week day during term time, how many hours does CM spend watching television, videos or DVDs”; ALSPAC 6: “How much time on average does s/he spend watching tv”; BCS70 5y: “Hours per day watched television Mon-Fri and Sat-Sun”). Responses are comparable in duration (hours/day), with consumption differences examined from weekdays and weekends.

ALSPAC 9y, BCS70 10y, and NCDS 11y ask similar questions on the frequency of TV watching (i.e. ALSPAC: “When she finishes school and returns home does she watch TV or video”; BCS70: “How often does your child do this in spare time: watch TV”, NCDS: “Watching television after school hour”) with responses comparable in frequency (ranging from never to always).

BCS70 42y, 46y, NCDS 44y, and NSHD 60-64y both ask similar questions on TV consumption in mid- and later life (i.e. BCS70: “Time spent watching television, videos, DVDs, blue-ray (including on a computer)”; NCDS: “Time spent on average during the last year: watching TV or videos?”; NSHD, “How much time you spend on average during the last year watching TV or videos other than for work?”) with responses comparable in duration (hour/day). However, NCDS and BCS70 split responses by weekday and weekend, while NSHD did not specify and asked for an average over the past year.

AgeStudyVariable name(s)Question wordingResponse scaleIncluded activitiesTimespan of recall
3MCSbmtvho"Typically, how many hours a day does child watch television or videos?"Hours per day: None, <1, 1+, <3, 4+TV, videoNot specified
3ALSPACkg272 kg276"How much time on average does she spend each day watching tv"Hours per day: None, <1, 1-2, 3+TVWeekday & weekends
4ALSPACkk331 kk331a kk332 kk332a kk333"How much time on average does she spend each day watching tv"Hours per day: None, <1, 1-2, 3+TVWeekday & weekends
5ALSPACkm3063 km3073"How much time on average does she spend each day watching tv"Hours per day: None, <1, 1-2, 3+TVWeekday, weekends & school holidays
5BCS70e117 e118"Hours per day watched television Mon-Fri and Sat-Sun"Hours per day: Under 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7+TVWeekday & weekends
5MCScmtvho"On a normal week day during term time, how many hours does CM spend watching TV, videos or DVDs"Hours per day: None, <1, 1 to <3, 3 to 5, 5 to <7, 7+TV, video, DVDWeekday
6ALSPACkp5023 kp5043 kp5063"How much time on average does she spend watching tv"Hours per day: None, <1, 1 to 2, 3+TVWeekday, weekends & school holidays
7MCSdmtvho"On a normal week day during term time, how many hours does CM spend watching television, videos or DVDs"Hours per day: None, <1, 1 to <3, 3 to 5, 5 to <7, 7+TV, video, DVDWeekday
8ALSPACkt1153 kt1173"How much time on average does she spend watching TV?" Hours per day: None, <1, 1 to 2, 3+TVWeekday, weekends & school holidays
9ALSPACku206"When she finishes school and returns home does she watch TV or video"Never, sometimes, usually, alwaysTV, videoNot specified
10BCS70M88"How often does your child do this in spare time: watch TV"Never/hardly, sometimes, oftenTVNot specified
11MCSEPTVHO00"On a normal week day during term time, how many hours does CM spend watching television programmes or films? "Hours per day: None, <1, 1 to <3, 3 to 5, 5 to <7, 7+TVNot specified
11NCDSN949"Watching television after school hour"Never/hardly ever, sometimes, often/nearly every dayTVWeekday during term time
13ALSPACccq103"How much time on average do you spend each day watching TV?"Hours per day: None, <1, 1 to 2, 3+TVWeekday, weekends & school holidays
14MCSFCTVHO00"On a normal week day during term time, how many hours do you spend watching television programmes or films?"Hours per day: None, <1, 1 to <3, 3 to 5, 5 to <7, 7+TVWeekday during term time
16ALSPACtc3002 tc3003 tc3004 tc3005"On a day when she does any of the things below, about how long altogether does she usually spend: TV (weekdays/ weekends) DVD (anyday)"Hours per day: never, <30m, 30m to 1, 1 to 2, 2 to 4, 4 to 6, 6+TV, DVDWeekday during term time- specified in question
16ALSPACccs1003"How much time on average do you spend each day watching TV?"Hours per day: None, <1, 1 to 2, 3+TVWeekday & weekends
16BCS70f13 f14"After school yesterday, how long spent watching TV/ watching video?"Hours per day: None, <1, >1, >2, >3, >4, >5TV, videoWeekday
16NCDSN2868"Frequency of watching TV in spare time"Would like to but don't have the chance, never, sometimes, oftenTVNot specified
17MCSGCTVHO00"On a normal weekday, how many hours do you spend watching programmes or films e.g. on a television or a device such as a laptop, tablet or smartphone? Please remember to include time spent watching DVDs, Blu-rays, etc."Hours per day: none, TVWeekday
22ALSPACYPB2060 YPB2070"On an average weekday (weekend), how many hours per day do you: sit and watch TV?"Hours per day: None, <1, 1 to 2, 3 to 4, 5 to 6, 7 to 8, 9+TVWeekday & weekends
26ALSPACYPF3080
YPF3150
"On an average weekday/weekend day, how many hours per day do you sit and watch TV"Hours per day: None, <1, 1 to 2, 3 to 4, 5 to 6, 7 to 8, 9+TVWeekday & weekends
28ALSPACcovid1_3058"Since the official lockdown was announced on March 23rd, how have the following aspects of your life changed? Time spent watching TV"Decreased, stayed the same, increased, not applicableTVSince the pandemic began
42BCS70B9SCQ10A B9SCQ10B"Time spent watching television, videos, DVDs, blue-ray (including on a computer)"Hours per day: None, <1, 1 to <3, 3 to <5, >5TV, video, DVDWeekday & weekends
44NCDStvtime"Time spent on average during the last year: watching TV or videos?"Hours per day: None, <1, 1 to 2, 2 to 3, 3 to 4, >4TVNot specified
46BCS70B10Q12A
B10Q12B
"How many hours do you spend watching television programmes, videos, DVDs or Blu-ray? Please include time spent watching programmes or films on a computer."Hours per day: None, <1, 1 to 2, 2 to 3, 3 to 4, >4TV, video, DVDWeekday & weekends
60-64NSHDNVID09"How much time you spend on average during the last year watching TV or videos other than for work?"Hours per day: None, <1, 1 to 2, 2 to 3, 3 to 4, 4+TV, videoPast year

Note. For the named items in the table above, links are provided (where applicable) to their corresponding content on CLOSER Discovery. Where a variable range is provided, full variable lists can be accessed through the ‘Variable Groups’ tab on the linked Discovery page.


Time spent using a computer / using games

ALSPAC 8y, 16y, 22y, MCS 11y, 14y, and BCS70 16y ask similar questions on the frequency of electronic gaming (i.e. MCS 14: “On a normal week day during term time, how many hours do you spend playing electronic games on a computer or games systems, such as Wii, Nintendo D-S, X-Box or PlayStation?”; ALSPAC: “On a day when she does any of the things below, about how long altogether does she usually spend on: computer game (anyday)”;  BCS70 16y: “After school yesterday, how long spent playing computer games?”) with all responses comparable in duration (hours/day).

AgeStudyVariable name(s)Question wordingResponse scaleIncluded activitiesTimespan of recall
6ALSPACkq571"How often does she play computer games"Not at all, rarely, monthly, once a week, 2-5x a week, dailyComputer gamesNot specified
8ALSPACkt3018"About how often does your child play computer games"Not at all, rarely, monthly, once a week, 2-5x a week, dailyComputer gamesNot specified
8ALSPACccd340 ccd341"How long do you spend playing computer games"Hours per day: hardly at all, <1, 1hr, 1+Computer gamesWeekday, weekends & school holidays
9ALSPACku536"About how often does your child play computer games"Not at all, < monthly, 1-3x month, 1x week, 2-5x week, dailyComputer gamesNot specified
11ALSPACkw9016"About how often does your child play computer games"Not at all, < monthly, 1-3x month, 1x week, 2-5x week, dailyComputer gamesNot specified
11MCSECQ05X00"How often do you play games on a computer or games console, such as a Wii, Nintendo D-S, X-Box or Play Station, not at school?"Never, < 1x a month, monthly, weekly, most daysElectronic gamesNot specified
11MCSEPCOMP00"On a normal weekday during term time, how many hours does CM spend playing electronic games on a computer or games console, such as Wii, Nintendo D-S, X-Box or Playstation?"Hours per day: none, <1, 1 to <2, 1 to <3, 3 to <5, 5 to <7, 7+Electronic gamesWeekday during term time
14MCSFCCOMH00"On a normal week day during term time, how many hours do you spend playing electronic games on a computer or games systems, such as Wii, Nintendo D-S, X-Box or PlayStation?"Hours per day: < 30min to 1, 1 to <2, 2 to 3, 3 to 5, 5 to 7, 7+Electronic gamesWeekday during term time
16ALSPACtc3007"On a day when she does any of the things below, about how long altogether does she usually spend on: computer game (any day)"Hours per day: never, <30m, 30m to 1, 1 to 2, 2 to 4, 4 to 6, 6+Computer gamesWeekday during term time- specified in question
16BCS70f15"After school yesterday, how long spent playing computer games?"Hours per day: none, <1, >1, >2, >3, >4, >5Computer gamesWeekday
17MCSGCCOMH00"On a normal weekday, how many hours do you spend playing games, including online games, on a computer, tablet, smartphone or games systems, such as Wii, Nintendo D-S, Xbox or PlayStation?"Hours per day: none, GamesWeekday
22ALSPACYPB2061 YPB2071"On an average weekday (weekend), how many hours per day do you: play games on PC/laptop, games console?"Hours per day: none, <1, 1 to 2, 3 to 4, 5 to 6, 7 to 8, 9+Electronic gamesWeekday & weekends
26ALSPACYPF3090
YPF3160
"On an average weekday/ weekend day how many hours per day do you Play video games on a PC/laptop or games console"Hours per day: None, <1, 1 to 2, 3 to 4, 5 to 6, 7 to 8, 9+Computer gamesWeekday & weekends
46BCS70B10Q13A
B10Q13B
"How many hours do you spend playing electronic games on a computer or games system, such as Wii, Nintendo D-S, X-Box or PlayStation? Please also include time spent playing games on smartphones or tablets"Hours per day: None, less than an hour, 1 to 2 hours a day, 2 to 3 hours a day, 3 to 4 hours a day, more than 4 hoursElectronic gamesWeekday & weekends

Note. For the named items in the table above, links are provided (where applicable) to their corresponding content on CLOSER Discovery.


Time spent using the internet

MCS 14y and ALSPAC 16y ask similar questions on internet usage (i.e. MCS: “On a normal week day during term time, how many hours do you spend using the internet?”; ALSPAC: “On a day when she does any of the things below, about how long altogether does she usually spend on: internet (for school/college), internet (non-school/college)”) with responses comparable in duration (hours/day). BCS70 46y asks a similar question about number of hours of internet usage, for weekdays and weekends.

AgeStudyVariable name(s)Question wordingResponse scaleIncluded activitiesTimespan of recall
14MCSFCCOMH00"On a normal week day during term time, how many hours do you spend using the internet?"Hours per day: None, <1, 1 to <2, 1 to <3, 3 to <5, 5 to <7, 7+Internet (tablets, smartphones, computers, laptops)Weekday during term time
16ALSPACtc3008 tc3009"On a day when s/he does any of the things below, about how long altogether does s/he usually spend on: internet (for school/college), internet (non-school/college)"Hours per day: Never, <30m, 30m to 1, 1 to 2, 2 to 4, 4 to 6, 6+InternetWeekday during term time - specified in question
46BCS70B10Q14A
B10Q14B
"How many hours do you spend using the internet at home? Include time spent using the internet on tablets, smartphones, and other mobile devices as well as computers and laptops. Please include time spent on social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter."None, <1 hour, 1 to 2 hours, 2 to 3 hours, 3 to 4 hours, >4 hoursInternet (tablets, smartphones, computers, laptops)Weekends & weekdays

Note. For the named items in the table above, links are provided (where applicable) to their corresponding content on CLOSER Discovery.


Time spent using a screen

The NSHD, NCDS, BCS70, and MCS all carried out the same COVID-19 survey which, in Wave 3, included a question on the amount of screen time (“On a typical weekday in the last week, how much time have you spent in from of a screen?”) with responses split between screen time for work/study or not. These are directly comparable.

AgeStudyVariable name(s)Question wordingResponse scaleIncluded activitiesTimespan of recall
19/20MCSCW3_SCREENTIM_1 CW3_SCREENTIM_2"On a typical weekday in the last week, how much time have you spent in from of a screen? 1) For work or study, 2) Not for work or study"Hours per day: none, <1, 1 to <2, 2 to <4, 4 to <6, 6 to <8, 8 to <10, 10+Computers, laptops, phones, TVWeekday last week
50BCS70CW3_SCREENTIM_1 CW3_SCREENTIM_2"On a typical weekday in the last week, how much time have you spent in from of a screen? 1) For work or study, 2) Not for work or study"Hours per day: none, <1, 1 to <2, 2 to <4, 4 to <6, 6 to <8, 8 to <10, 10+Computers, laptops, phones, TVWeekday last week
62NCDSCW3_SCREENTIM_1 CW3_SCREENTIM_2"On a typical weekday in the last week, how much time have you spent in from of a screen? 1) For work or study, 2) Not for work or study"Hours per day: none, <1, 1 to <2, 2 to <4, 4 to <6, 6 to <8, 8 to <10, 10+Computers, laptops, phones, TVWeekday last week
74/75NSHDCW3_SCREENTIM_1 CW3_SCREENTIM_2"On a typical weekday in the last week, how much time have you spent in from of a screen? 1) For work or study, 2) Not for work or study"Hours per day: none, <1, 1 to <2, 2 to <4, 4 to <6, 6 to <8, 8 to <10, 10+Computers, laptops, phones, TVWeekday last week

Note. For the named items in the table above, links are provided (where applicable) to their corresponding content on CLOSER Discovery.


Explore the other domains of physical activity & the comparability of measurements across studies:

Learn more about the studies covered by this guide and their measurement of physical activity:

Further information:


This page is part of the CLOSER resource: ‘Physical activity across age and study: a guide to data in six CLOSER studies’.