Sedentary Behavior in Dutch Workers

Background

Sedentary behavior is an independent risk factor for excess body weight and other health problems. There are no published data on sitting time at work, or how this is related to occupation and sector (branch of business). No published study has shown whether extended sitting at work is compensated for by sitting less during leisure time.

Methods

This study used data from a continuous cross-sectional survey, from 2000 to 2005 (N=7720). Workers were asked how many minutes they spent sitting during the preceding day, both at work and in their leisure time. To test differences in sitting times among occupational groups and sectors, descriptive analyses and analyses of variance were carried out in 2006.

Results

On average, the Dutch working population reported sitting for 7 hours each day, one third of which was at work. Occupational groups and sectors differed significantly in sedentary behavior, mainly involving sitting periods at work. Workers spending long periods sitting at work did not compensate by sitting less during their leisure time.

Conclusions

Workers spend a substantial part of their waking and working time seated. Those who sat for long periods at work did not compensate for this lack of activity by adopting less-sedentary behaviors during leisure time. To prevent health problems, the best approach may be to reduce sedentary behavior at work, when traveling to and from work, and during leisure time.

Introduction

Various studies have shown that, besides too little physical activity, sedentary behavior is an independent risk factor for overweight, metabolic syndromes, and diabetes.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 Sedentary behavior involves activities with a very low energy expenditure (1.0–1.8 metabolic equivalents [MET]), performed mainly in a sitting or supine position. To date, studies have used hours spent watching TV as the main indicator of sedentary behavior.2, 3, 4, 6, 7 However, watching TV is only one of many sedentary activities. Today, many jobs involve sitting at work; more than one quarter of the Dutch working population has only seated work.⁸ Very few published studies have investigated how long workers spend doing seated work, or how the sitting time at work relates to total sitting time each day.

There are major differences in sedentary behavior between occupations and sectors (branches of business). This is borne out by previous studies on the amount of physical activity⁹ and obesity¹⁰ in different occupations. These studies also have shown that occupations involving a greater degree of activity have a relatively low incidence of obesity. The most physically inactive occupations have relatively high prevalence of obesity. Nevertheless, there are some occupations and sectors in which this link is less clear. Factors such as socioeconomic status (SES) and differences in sedentary behavior also may confound the association.

Sitting time at work is determined largely by the nature of the work in question. It may be expected that workers in occupations and sectors with relatively long periods of sitting at work compensate for this lack of activity by sitting less during their leisure time. Conversely, workers who are seldom seated while working may spend more time sitting down during their leisure time. To date, no published studies have explored the relationship between occupation and sedentary behavior, both at work and during leisure time.

This study describes how many hours per day the Dutch working population spends sitting down, and what proportion of this is work-related. The differences among various occupational groups and sectors in total sitting time, sitting time at work, and sitting time during leisure time were examined in a representative sample of the Dutch working population. It was hypothesized that occupations and sectors with relatively long sitting times at work might compensate during their leisure time by spending less time sitting.