in

Staying seated for more than 7 hours a day: a real health risk

© iStock
Staying seated for more than 7 hours a day: a real health risk
5 (100%) 1 vote

A study carried out in eight European countries revealed that the majority of citizens stay seated for far too long throughout the course of the day, and the United Kingdom was top of the list: people in the UK are spending an average of 8 hours and 13 minutes seated per day.

Almost three quarters of Europeans underestimate the health risks of a sedentary lifestyle. This is what was revealed by a study that was published online on the 23rd April 2018 in Germany, Spain, Finland, France, Portugal, Italy, Holland and the United Kingdom, in association with Attitude Prevention.

Obesity, cancer and depression

Although they spend on average 7 hours 26 minutes in a seated position every day, only 28% of Europeans are aware that a sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, depression, anxiety and cancer. 72% are unaware of one or more of these risks, cancer being the one people were least aware of.

People from the UK were classed at the top of this list, in that on average they spend the longest time seated per day, at 8 hours and 13 minutes. 69% of them underestimate the associated health risks.

Sedentary hobbies!

People from the UK spend 59% of their time engaging in sedentary hobbies, such as surfing the web or watching movies, television programmes or series. They were on a par with the French in this regard. The Finnish and the Dutch were vying for first place on this unenviable list, with an average of 60% of their free time spent seated.

Young people prefer watching movies to playing sport

50% of young people said that they would prefer to watch a film, a series or a programme during their free time, and 23% of them would prefer to eat a meal in a restaurant or go for a drink in a bar. Older people went more so for calmer, and sometimes more physical activities, such as going for a walk (54%) or reading (45%).

Related articles

Lack of physical activity: is our children’s heart health at risk?

The 4 best sports to increase your life expectancy

7 postures to avoid back pain