Reducing sedentary behaviour to improve health and wellbeing

Whether in the workplace, at home, or in a care setting, the time we spend sedentary can be detrimental to our long-term health in a number of ways.

While obesity is the most obvious health consequence from remaining sedentary, there are also investigations about how inactivity affects the risk of chronic disease, mood and even memory.

In children and adolescents there are efforts to quantify how sedentary behaviour impacts psychosocial wellbeing, while in older adults there is focus on the reasons why individuals are sedentary – is it due to injury, to social isolation, confidence or lack of motivation?

In the workplace, our researchers have been champions at initiatives which encourage standing and walking, not just for burning energy, but to increase productivity and alleviate stress.