ARE YOU OR YOUR FAMILY AT RISK?
Are you unknowingly increasing your risk of disease by 50%? If you are a person who spends a significant amount of time sitting at a desk, the answer is yes. Even your children could be at risk due to the long hours spent sitting at school or in front of a screen. Sedentary behaviour comes in all forms- driving, sitting on buses or trains, watching TV, playing video games, using a computer, reading or even sitting when socialising.
We spend increasingly long periods of time in environments that reduce physical activity and require prolonged sitting – at work, home, in our cars and our communities.
Work sites, schools, homes and public spaces are re-engineered to reduce human movement and muscular activity, resulting in people moving less and sitting more. Despite the allure of comfort, we as humans were designed to move and engage in all kinds of physical movement throughout the day and it’s essential for our mental and physical health. This modern-day shift from a physically demanding life to one with few physical challenges has been sharp and sudden when looked at from an evolutionary perspective.
The dangers of sitting include:
- Weight gain
- Increased risk of Type 2 diabetes
- Cardiovascular disease
- Death from all causes in adults
It’s also of concern that the potential health outcomes of a sedentary lifestyle seem to be independent of physical activity so that even physically active people can be susceptible to the adverse effects of prolonged sedentary behaviour. This shouldn’t however detract from the importance of being active for at least 30 minutes a day.
Studies have also shown that women are more sedentary up to the age of 40, while men are more so after 60.
Biological, demographic and social/cultural factors affect the sedentary behaviour of young people, with some evidence suggesting that young boys typically spend more time sedentary than adolescent girls. Research also suggests that screen time is greatest among children with a lower socio-economic status and those from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Having multiple computers and TV’s in the house, especially in the bedroom, also play a major role.
So what can be done?
It’s difficult to determine how harmful sedentary behaviour is in these relatively early stages. General guidance from health professionals includes:
Creating strategies to break up your sedentary time
- Taking regular, active breaks during work and school time such as getting up regularly to speak to colleagues or to make a drink
- Taking active breaks during leisure time as well – e.g. when watching TV or using a computer
- Setting rules or limiting screen time and removing TVs, computers or video games from bedrooms
- Parents or carers need to reduce their own sedentary behaviour to be good role models
- Start by simply standing rather than sitting whenever you have the chance, such as while talking on the phone or eating lunch
Remember, the muscle activity needed for standing and other movements seems to trigger important processes related to the breakdown of fats and sugars within the body. When you sit, these processes stall — and your health risks increase. When standing or actively moving, you kick the processes back into action.
