Swapping a half-hour of sitting with physical activity can cut the risk of early death by as much as 35%, a new study published online in the American Journal of Epidemiology last month has said.
The findings underscore an important public health message: physical activity of any intensity provides health benefits, Keith Diaz, assistant professor of Behavioral Medicine at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and lead author of the study, said.
For the study, 7,999 individuals aged 45 and more took part in a national investigation of racial and regional disparities in stroke between 2009 and 2013.
The individuals wore activity monitors for at least four days to record the amount and intensity of physical activity they engaged in while awake. The researchers tabulated the death rate among participants through 2017. Using this data, they estimated how substituting time spent sitting, with time being physically active would affect risk of early death.
The study found that replacing just 30 minutes of sitting with low-intensity physical activity would lower the risk of early death by 17%, a statistically significant decrease. Swapping the same amount of sitting for moderate to vigorous activity would be twice as effective, cutting the risk of early death by 35%. Researchers also found that short bursts of activity — of just a minute or two — provided a health benefit.
Technology blamed
Corroborating this, K.K. Aggarwal, president of Heart Care Foundation of India (HCFI), attributed the sitting “epidemic” to modern and advanced technology.
“Thanks to technology, most of us indulge in online shopping, online payments, accessing information, among other things sitting at home. We are less physically active now because of technology,” he said.
Dr. Aggarwal, who is also the former president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), said sitting continuously for more than four hours a day is also harmful to the spine and back.
“If not addressed on time, this can further cause permanent damage to the cervical spine, causing lifelong pain. If you experience fatigue or pain when you wake up in the morning or after you have been sitting at your desk for a couple of hours, it may be an indication that your posture is not right.”
Pointing out that the benefits of exercise on physical health as well as mental health are well-established, he said the level of physical activity among all age groups has decreased either owing to lack of initiative or lack of safe open spaces.
“A heavy work schedule is often a deterrent to physical activity for many of us,” he said.
C.N. Manjunath, director of Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, said, “Sitting is the new smoking and several studies have shown that one in four adults spends more than eight hours a day sitting. We are less physically active now because of technology and this increases the risk of developing lifestyle diseases.”
Sitting at a desk for a long time working on the computer, using social media on smartphones, watching TV, or sitting in a meeting — all these activities promote sedentary behaviour, he said.
