Sitting too long a risk to middle-aged office staff

● Study finds workers sit for hours longer than elderly

0 Many middle-aged office staff sit for as much as eight hours a day, longer than the over 75s The majority of middleaged office workers in Scotland spend as much time sitting down as older pensioners, increasing their chances of conditions such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers, a report from the University of Edinburgh reveals.

Experts say high levels of sedentary time – more than seven hours a day – increases the risk of these conditions even if people are physically active at other times of the day

The research overturns studies suggesting older people were the UK’S most sedentary group.

The study found 45 to 54-year-olds spend on average 7.8 hours per weekday sitting down, compared with 7.4 hours for the over-75s.

Sedentary work – any waking activity done while sitting or reclined, including working, eating, reading, watching TV, or spending time on a computer – is the main reason for this inactivity.

Only the youngest group surveyed – 16 to 24-year-olds – are less sedentary than the over 75s on weekdays.

The situation reverses at the weekend. Those aged 25 to 54 were the least sedentary, sitting for between 5.2 and 5.7 hours a day. The over 75s were the most sedentary, at 7.3 to 7.4 hours a day.

For the youngest group, most of the time sitting down is in front of a TV or screen. Men spend less “screen time” as they get older, with women peaking in middle-age.

Lead researcher Tessa Strain said workplace routines needed to be examined.

“Large parts of the population are dangerously sedentary, something we have underestimated.

“We need to tackle high levels of sedentary time in early and middle age, when patterns may develop. Our findings suggest that changing habits in the workplace could be an appropriate place to start, given how much time we spend sitting there every day.”

Researchers drew upon data from more than 14,000 people taken from the 2012-14 Scottish Health Survey.

The findings, from the university’s physical activity for health research centre, are published in the Journal of Sports Sciences.