Sitting down at work ‘could be as bad as smoking’

Sitting is just as bad for your health as smoking, researchers claim.

It is now believed that sitting for a long time is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes and even early death and could be just as big a threat to public health, if not more so, than smoking.

Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast have joined a European consortium that has received a €4.5m European Commission grant to find innovative ways of tackling sedentary behaviour.

Over the next four years they will work with researchers in Spain, Denmark, Germany, France and Scotland to increase physical activity in older people.

Their ways of helping people over 65 to sit less and become more active will be tested on 1,300 people in four European countries.

Mark Tully from Queen’s University, who is leading the project in Northern Ireland, said one of the biggest threats to health was the amount of time spent sitting.

“One average, people spend over nine hours, or up to 80% of their waking day, sitting down,” he said.

“Public health scientists have recognised the need to develop effective interventions to address the high levels of inactivity across ages, with sitting regarded as the new smoking,” he said.

Researchers at the Centre of Excellence for Public Health at Queen’s have already shown that mothers who sit more during pregnancy are likely to have heavier babies. They also found men who spend more time sitting at work have poorer kidney function.

Some suggestions that could be used to help people be more active at work are treadmill and height-adjustable desks so users can alternate between standing and sitting.

Dr Tully, who regularly uses his treadmill desk during his working day, said his office also had standing desks and he and his colleagues tried to stand for most of the day.

“Those of us who stand while we work are more creative and productive in our working lives too. So it may well be that sitting is reducing productivity in our workplaces,” he said.

Dr Tully said people should not sit for long periods as it was also shown to affect mental health. “Break up your sitting with a little bit of standing. What my colleagues do is drink lots of water because that encourages breaks to go and relieve yourself,” he said.

Dr Tully said a Canadian study found adults who spent most of their time sitting were 50% more likely to die than those who sit the least.

Dr Tully said they hoped to identify effective ways for older people to make positive lifestyle changes to improve their health and wellbeing.

A programme based on the research will be developed and will be available for delivery through the health system in each of the member countries.

Dr Tully, a lecturer in physical activity and health, said people at work could take action now to break their sitting habit.