Middle-aged office workers 'sit down more' than OAPs

Conclusion The results of this large Scottish survey indicate that for adults in work, time spent being inactive during weekdays is greater in all age groups compared with people aged 75 and above. This is reversed at the weekend. This indicates that work has a huge impact on activity levels. The authors argue that long periods spent sitting at work have public health implications, including increased risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and some cancers. However, there are a number of limitations to the study: The responses were self-reported, so might be subject to bias if people inaccurately estimate the amount of time they are inactive. However, this is not likely to change a great deal between age groups. Recall bias could well lead to underestimation of the amount of sedentary time so the problem could actually be worse than described. Other sedentary activities that are not specifically mentioned in the survey might be overlooked and under-reported. For example, people in younger age groups may spend more time sitting down driving but as this was not specifically asked they might not report it. The survey only had Scottish respondents and therefore may be less relevant for a UK-wide population in which activity in different age groups might differ. In younger age groups, more women than men reported not working, which might have affected overall results. While it can be challenging to fit a regular exercise regime into a 9-5 lifestyle, it is possibl...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Older people Source Type: news