BackgroundBoth physical activity and sedentary behaviour have been individually associated with health, however, the extent to which the combination of these behaviours influence health is less well-known. The aim of this study was to examine the associations of four mutually exclusive categories of objectively measured physical activity and sedentary time on markers of cardiometabolic health in a nationally representative sample of English adults.MethodsUsing the 2008 Health Survey for England dataset, 2131 participants aged ≥18 years, who provided valid accelerometry data, were included for analysis and grouped into one of four behavioural categories: (1) ‘Busy Bees’: physically active & low sedentary, (2) ‘Sedentary Exercisers’: physically active & high sedentary, (3) ‘Light Movers’: physically inactive & low sedentary, and (4) ‘Couch Potatoes’: physically inactive & high sedentary. ‘Physically active’ was defined as accumulating at least 150 min of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per week. ‘Low sedentary’ was defined as residing in the lowest quartile of the ratio between the average sedentary time and the average light-intensity physical activity time. Weighted multiple linear regression models, adjusting for measured confounders, investigated the differences in markers of health across the derived behavioural categories. The associations between continuous measures of physical activity and sedentary levels with markers of health were also explored, as well as a number of sensitivity analyses.ResultsIn comparison to ‘Couch Potatoes’, ‘Busy Bees’ [body mass index: −1.67 kg/m2 (p < 0.001); waist circumference: −1.17 cm (p = 0.007); glycated haemoglobin: −0.12 % (p = 0.003); HDL-cholesterol: 0.09 mmol/L (p = 0.001)], ‘Sedentary Exercisers’ [body mass index: −1.64 kg/m2 (p < 0.001); glycated haemoglobin: −0.11 % (p = 0.009); HDL-cholesterol: 0.07 mmol/L (p < 0.001)] and ‘Light Movers’ [HDL-cholesterol: 0.11 mmol/L (p = 0.004)] had more favourable health markers. The continuous analyses showed consistency with the categorical analyses and the sensitivity analyses indicated robustness and stability.ConclusionsIn this national sample of English adults, being physically active was associated with a better health profile, even in those with concomitant high sedentary time. Low sedentary time independent of physical activity had a positive association with HDL-cholesterol.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-016-2694-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

BackgroundProlonged sitting is common in older adults and is associated with insulin resistance and poor cardiometabolic health. We investigate whether breaking prolonged sitting with regular short bouts of standing or light walking improves postprandial metabolism in older white European and South Asian adults and whether effects are modified by ethnic group.MethodsThirty South Asian (15 women) and 30 white European (14 women) older adults (aged 65–79 years) undertook three experimental conditions in random order. (a) Prolonged sitting: continuous sitting during an observation period if 7.5 hours consuming two standardized mixed meals. (b) Standing breaks: sitting interrupted with 5 minutes of standing every 30 minutes (accumulating 60 minutes of standing over the observation period). (c) Walking breaks: sitting interrupted with 5 minutes of self-paced light walking every 30 minutes (accumulating 60 minutes of walking). Blood samples (glucose, insulin, triglycerides) and blood pressure were sampled regularly throughout each condition.ResultsCompared with prolonged sitting, walking breaks lowered postprandial insulin by 16.3 mU/L, (95% CI: 19.7, 22.0) with greater reductions (p = .029) seen in South Asians (22.4 mU/L; 12.4, 32.4) than white Europeans (10.3 mU/L; 5.9, 14.7). Glucose (0.3 mmol/L; 0.1, 0.5) and blood pressure (4 mm Hg; 2, 6), but not triglycerides, were lower with walking breaks, with no ethnic differences. Standing breaks did not improve any outcome.ConclusionsBreaking prolonged sitting with short bouts of light walking, but not standing, resulted in clinically meaningful improvements in markers of metabolic health in older adults, with South Asians gaining a greater reduction in postprandial insulin.Trial RegistrationNCT02453204

There is a pressing need for future workplace health interventions to reduce employee sitting times.

No abstract

Very few OH interventions have addressed the health and workability of older workers and there is considerable scope for developing OH provision, which accounts for the needs of the older workforce.

the Victorian Government's OIS Program. There are no other conflicts of interest. The results of the present study do not constitute endorsement by the ACSM. The results of the study are presented clearly, honestly, and without fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate data manipulation.

Background Psychological stress is a major cause of lost working days in the UK. The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has developed management standards (MS) to help organizations to assess work-related stress. AimsTo investigate the relationships between the MS indicator tool and employee health, job attitudes, work performance and environmental outcomes. MethodsThe first phase involved a survey employing the MS indicator tool, General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), job attitudes, work performance and environmental measures in a call centre from a large utility company. The second phase comprised six focus groups to investigate what employees believed contributed to their perceived stress. ResultsThree hundred and four call centre employees responded with a response rate of 85%. Significant negative correlations were found between GHQ-12 and two MS dimensions; demands (Rho = −0.211, P < 0.001) and relationships (Rho= −0.134, P < 0.05). Other dimensions showed no significant relationship with GHQ-12. Higher levels of stress were associated with reduced job performance, job motivation and increased intention to quit but low stress levels were associated with reduced job satisfaction. Lack of management support, recognition and development opportunities were identified as sources of stress. ConclusionsThe findings support the utility of the MS as a measure of employee attitudes and performance.

This article presents longitudinal data from 1120 participants across 10 worksites enrolled in Walking Works Wonders, a tailored intervention designed to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour. The intervention was evaluated over 2 years, using a quasi-experimental design comprising 3 conditions: tailored information; standard information and control. This study explored the impact of the intervention on objective measures (BMI, %Fat, waist circumference, blood pressure and heart rate) and self-reported measures of physical activity, sedentary behaviour, physical and psychological health. Interventions tailored to employees' stage of change significantly reduced BMI and waist circumference compared to standard and control conditions. Employees who received either a standard or tailored intervention demonstrated significantly higher work ability, organizational commitment, job motivation, job satisfaction and a reduction in intention to quit the organization. The results suggest that adopting a tailored approach to interventions is particularly effective in terms of improving health in the workplace. Practitioner Summary: This study describes Walking Works Wonders, a tailored intervention, which aims to encourage physical activity in the workplace. The study evaluated Walking Works Wonders over a 2 year period and demonstrated that interventions are more effective in improving health outcomes where the information is tailored to employees' stage of change.