Study finds middle-aged office workers more sedentary than over-75s

Most middle-aged office workers spend as much time sitting down as older pensioners, with large parts of the population “dangerously sedentary”, according to new research.

The Edinburgh University 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 is the main reason for the inactivity, with sedentary time (ST) defined as time spent in any waking activity done while sitting or reclined, including working, eating, reading, watching TV or spending time on a computer.

Experts are calling for action to tackle high levels of ST, which has been linked to health risks including cardiovascular disease and type two diabetes.

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

However, the weekday situation reverses at the weekend, when 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 time in front of a screen as they get older, with women peaking in middle-age.

Experts say high levels of sedentary time - more than seven hours a day - increases the risk of an early death, cardiovascular disease, type two diabetes and some cancers, even if people are physically active at other times of the day.

Lead researcher Tessa Strain said: “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.”

A recent review by other researchers found “tentative evidence” to suggest sit-to-stand desks could reduce work sedentary time, at least in the short term.

The latest study calls for more research in the area and also suggests initiatives to reduce the amount of time people spend in front of a TV or screen during leisure time.

The researchers said: “Our results challenge the conventional understanding that older adults in Scotland report the highest levels of ST, as the majority of middle-aged adults reported similar levels to older adults.”

They added: “Based on these results, we recommend that ST at work amongst early-to-middle aged adults and leisure TV/ screen time for all adults are considered as targets for interventions to reduce ST.”

The findings from the University of Edinburgh's Physical Activity for Health Research Centre are published in the Journal of Sports Sciences.

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