Those who work in the office usually spend a lot of time sitting, which increases the risk of cardiometabolic diseases. A few simple measures can be taken to counteract this.
A study examined how time spent sitting is related to cardiometabolic risk factors in office workers and how physical activity affects this. The results are published in the “American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine”.
Cardiometabolic health studied
Of the original 160 participants working in the office, 122 people were ultimately included in the study for whom valid accelerometer data and additional cardiometabolic data were available, the researchers report.
Using questionnaires and wrist-worn accelerometers, the experts measured physical activity and time spent in sedentary activities. The team also measured weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio, blood pressure and various important blood values.
Participants sat for almost 600 minutes per day
It turned out that the participants said they spent a total of 595.5 minutes per day on sitting activities. Participants who sat a lot also rarely engaged in moderate or intensive exercise.
The results also show that people who work in the office spend a lot of time sitting during working hours and on the way to work, according to the experts. This underlines the need for workplace measures to reduce the potential health risks associated with sedentary work.
Get up and move
The study highlights that workplace interventions to reduce time spent in sedentary activities should focus on getting people up and moving more often.
The researchers recommend that anyone who works in the office should be physically active on the way to work. Commuting to work by bike or on foot or using public transport and, for example, getting off at a station before work and walking the rest of the way are good approaches to reducing the time spent sitting. (as)
