Too Much Sitting a Health Risk
| In the mid-1990s, Australia’s International Diabetes Institute initiated the first Australian study on the prevalence of diabetes and its risk factors. The study was called the “AusDiab, the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle study,” and included in the assessment was a question regarding television viewing time.
Study results showed that prolonged television viewing time, particularly more than four hours a day, was associated with higher blood sugar levels, higher blood fat levels, larger waist circumference, and higher risk of metabolic syndrome. |
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Importantly, the strong relationship of these biomarkers of metabolic health with television viewing time remained significant regardless of how much moderate to vigorous physical activity people performed. The negative associations between television viewing time and metabolic health were observed even in adults who met the criteria for Australia’s physical activity guidelines.
People who interrupted their sedentary time more frequently (e.g., got up to get a drink, stood up to answer the phone) had better metabolic health, compared to those whose sitting time was mostly uninterrupted.
The data suggested that the average Australian each day spends about nine hours in sedentary behaviours, primarily prolonged sitting. The remainder of the day is mostly spent doing light physical activity, with only 4-5% of the day spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity.
Participation in light activities (e.g., housework, shopping, standing and moving about in office environments) was associated with lower blood sugar levels and smaller waist circumferences.
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