Regular breaks, physical activity can combat ‘serious risks’ of prolonged sitting
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Key takeaways:
- People who reported mostly sitting at work were at higher risk for all-cause and heart-related death than those who were nonsitters.
- Small, 15-minute breaks of daily physical activity can reduce risks.
Data from a prospective study of Taiwanese adults suggest reducing prolonged sitting in the workplace by increasing the volume or intensity of physical activity may mitigate elevated risks for all-cause and heart-related death.
“Few studies have specifically examined prolonged occupational sitting,” Chi-Pang Wen, MD, DrPH, of the Institute of Population Health Science and the National Health Research Institute in Zhunan, Taiwan, and colleagues wrote in JAMA Network Open. “However, several studies have found increased mortality among prolonged sitters from all causes, as well as from CVD, cancer and diabetes. ... However, associations between occupational prolonged sitting and health outcomes are not consistently demonstrated. Prospective studies have generally found that occupational prolonged sitting increases the risk of diabetes, for example, but not cancer.”
Data were derived from Gao W, et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.50680.
Wen and colleagues analyzed data from 481,688 participants of a health surveillance program in Taiwan who were followed from 1996 to 2017. The mean age of participants was 39 years and 53.2% were women. The researchers collected data on occupational sitting, leisure-time physical activity habits, lifestyle and metabolic parameters. Researchers calculated HRs for all-cause and CV death associated with three occupational sitting volumes: mostly sitting; alternating sitting and nonsitting; and mostly nonsitting, with participants stratified by five leisure-time physical activity habits.
“Our study used a specific approach, comparing nonsitters at a specific leisure-time physical activity level (used as the reference) with sitters at the same or higher leisure-time physical activity levels,” the researchers wrote. “This comparison helps to identify the leisure-time physical activity level at which no significant difference emerges compared with the nonsitting reference, a pivotal point in ensuring clear and accurate interpretation of the results.”
Within the cohort, 60.2% of participants were in the mostly sitting group, 10.7% were in the nonsitting group and 29.1% were in the alternating sitting and nonsittting group.
During 12.85 years of follow-up, there were 26,257 deaths, with 57.3% occurring among those mostly sitting at work. Of the 5,371 CVD-related deaths, 60.2% of those occurred among participants classified as mostly sitters.
Compared with nonsitters, those who were mostly sitters at work had a 16% higher risk for all-cause death (HR = 1.16; 95% CI, 1.11-1.2) and 34% higher risk for CV death (HR = 1.34; 95% CI, 1.22-1.46). Those who alternated sitting and nonsitting were at no greater risk for all-cause death compared with nonsitters (HR = 1.01; 95% CI, 0.97-1.05).
In analyses stratified by inactive to high levels of leisure-time physical activity habits, people who reported mostly sitting at work had higher risks than those alternating sitting and nonsitting as well as those who reported mostly nonsitting. However, at very high levels of leisure-time physical activity, there were no differences in risks for those who were sitters vs. nonsitters.
For participants who reported mostly sitting at work and engaging in low (15 to 29 minutes per day) or no leisure-time physical activity, researchers found that increasing leisure-time physical activity by 15 and 30 minutes per day, respectively, was associated with a mortality reduction equivalent to people who are inactive during leisure time but nonsitters at work.
The researchers noted the data suggest the increased risks of sitting can be offset by an extra 15 to 30 minutes of exercise per day or by participating in more physically intense activities, adding that employers can also play a role in facilitating such activities.
“The serious risks associated with prolonged occupational sitting can be mitigated by incorporating regular breaks and engaging in additional physical activity,” the researchers wrote. “Systemic changes, such as more frequent breaks, standing desks, designated workplace areas for physical activity and gym membership benefits can help reduce risk.”
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