Desk-Based Occupational Sitting Patterns

Abstract

Background: Prolonged, uninterrupted sitting time is associated with poor health outcomes.As most sitting time occurs at work, accurate, objective measurement of occupational sitting patterns is required to fully understand its effects on employee health. Purpose:The purpose of this study was to examine associations between desk-based sitting patterns, waist circumference (WC) and body mass index (BMI).Methods: Participants were full-time, office-based employees (N=105; mean age 40.9±11.5 years; BMI 26.1±3.9, 65% women). Sitting patterns (total desk-based sitting time and number of times employees got up from their desk) were assessed for five days using an objective measure of desk-based sitting, the sitting pad. WC, height and weight were measured, and BMI calculated (weight/height 2 ). Associations between sitting patterns, WC and BMI were tested using logistic regression models. Data were collected and analysed between 2011/12.Results: Those with high sitting time at their desk were 2.7 times (95% CI: 1.3 to 6.3) more likely to have WC ≥94 cm (men) or ≥80cm (women), and 9.0 times (95% CI: 1.9 to 41.9) more likely to have BMI ≥30 than those with lower sitting time. There were no significant associations between the number of times employees got up from sitting at their desk and WC or BMI. Conclusion:High desk-based sitting time was associated with increased likelihood of weight related health outcomes whereas frequency of getting up from sitting at the desk was not.3

Prevalence and socioeconomic determinants of leisure time physical activity among Polish farmers

“…This concerns the group of farmers from the presented research group as the sitting time on weekdays in their case is 4.4±2.9 and 4.5±3.2 hrs/day at weekends, and these results are close to those for people with sedentary work, e.g. highly educated employees (about 5 hours) [37] and office workers (about 6 hours during a working day) [38]. When taking into consideration the youngest farmers (aged 18-29-7.4±1.0 and 30-39 − 5.1±3.3 hours on weekdays) and those with the highest incomes (3,000-4,499 PLN/Є750-1,124 − 5.7±2.1 and ≥4500 PLN/Є1125 − 6.8±1.5 hours at weekends), the described unfavourable phenomenon is even more prevalent.…”

The cross‐sectional associations between objectively measured sedentary time and cardiometabolic health markers in adults – a systematic review with meta‐analysis component

“…From the included papers, 10 came from NHANES , three from AusDiab , three from the Whitehall II Study , two from HSE , two from RISC study and one each from the Generation 100 Study , EVIDENT study , Leuven Longitudinal Study on Lifestyle, Fitness and Health (LLSLFH) , Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study (SCPIS) , International Physical Activity and the Environment Network Adult Study , New Method for Objective Measurements of Physical Activity in Daily Living study , Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos and Canadian Health Measures Survey . The remaining 16 papers were all individual/stand‐alone studies . For the meta‐analysis, the aggregated sample size and mean age ( n , years) for the five included health markers were fasting glucose (25,356, 41.6), fasting insulin (10,474, 37.0), triglycerides (26,562, 42.4), HDL‐C (29,582, 46.1) and waist circumference (16,842, 44.6).…”

“…No associations were reported for either fat mass or lean mass . Sedentary time was positively associated with body mass index (BMI) in 10 papers (six did not adjust for any PA and three became non‐significant following adjustment for MVPA ). Fourteen papers reported no association between sedentary time and BMI .…”

“…Fourteen papers reported no association between sedentary time and BMI (11,28,(31)(32)(33)35,43,46,47,49,65,66,73,74). Sedentary time had a positive association with waist circumference in 15 papers (29,(35)(36)(37)39,44,48,(55)(56)(57)(58)60,68,71,75) (four did not adjust for any PA (36,37,48,57) and four associations became non-significant following adjustment for MVPA (39,60,71) and cardiorespiratory fitness (55)). Peterson and colleagues found an association in only the moderate MVPA group (35), between those with high sedentary time and low sedentary time.…”

“…Study of Latinos(50) and Canadian Health Measures Survey(67). The remaining 16 papers were all individual/stand-alone studies(11,47,48,(56)(57)(58)(59)(60)(68)(69)(70)(71)(72)(73)(74)(75). For the meta-analysis, the aggregated sample size and mean age (n, years) for the five included health markers were fasting glucose(25,356, 41.6), fasting insulin (10,474, 37.0), triglycerides(26,562, 42.4), HDL-C (29,582, 46.1) and waist circumference(16,842, 44.6).…”