.gif)
If you want to remain fit and healthy, try to go for frequent breaks from prolonged sitting at workplace or home. Researchers from King's College London have shown that increasing the levels of physical activity is likely to be much less effective at reducing prolonged sitting than directly attempting to decrease sitting time. The paper appeared in the journal Health Psychology Review.
"These findings will be of interest to researchers and practitioners designing new ways to reduce prolonged sitting," said lead researcher Dr Benjamin Gardner from King's College London.
The team categorized studies according to their effectiveness and examined the strategies that had been used in each trial to try to reduce sitting. Some of the promising interventions included the provision of sit-stand desks at work.
Even when used in isolation, other techniques such as encouraging people to keep records of their own sitting time, setting individual goals for limiting sitting time, and using prompts and cues to remind people to stop them sitting were also found to help reduce sitting time.
In view of their study, the researchers now recommend that sitting time should be viewed as a separate behavior change target to physical activity.
Previous studies and reviews have shown that higher levels of sitting are linked with cancer, diabetes, heart disease and even an early death, independently of whether a person takes regular exercise.
Subscribe to PharmaTutor News Alerts by Email >>
