SYDNEY — A study has found that for desk-bound office workers, introducing interventions such as sit/stand workstations, can reduce sitting time by over an hour each working day, leading to better health.
“What we know now is that adults still need their minimum 30 minutes of exercise a day, but it’s also important to avoid prolonged sitting to reduce your risk of early death from heart disease,” said NSW Heart Foundation CEO Kerry Doyle.
Doyle said she was intrigued by a so-called “Meerkat phenomenon” introduced to the Heart Foundation HQ, where staff continually switch between sitting and standing throughout the day.
The Heart Foundation and University of Sydney study tracked 40 staff over a three-month period to see whether changes in sitting behavior were detected.
The findings of the project were released Monday at the Australian Health Promotion Association Conference.
Feedback from staff showed a “positive impact on their health and wellbeing in the workplace,” according to Michelle Daley, Heart Foundation Research Lead and Active Living Senior Manager.
“Some staff found they improved their posture by standing more, or suffered less back pain. Others said they stayed more alert and were able to focus on their work better, especially later in the afternoon which has benefits for both the individual and their employer,” she added.
Since the end of the research trial, more than 50 percent of participants said they had continued to use a sit/stand workstation permanently.
“The main challenge now is to work out whether these results are maintained in the longer term and whether we would find similar results if we tried this in other workplaces,” Daley said.
“Some other tips I’d recommend to sit less and move more throughout the day are taking the stairs instead of the lift, standing up to take a call and moving your meetings to the outdoors by going for a walk instead of catching up around the boardroom table,” she added. –Philippines News Agency | Xinhua
World Day for Safety and Health at Work
“Safety and health at work every day!”
Invoke Article 33 of the ILO constitution
against the military junta in Myanmar to carry out the 2021 ILO Commission of Inquiry recommendations against serious violations of Forced Labour and Freedom of Association protocols.
Accept National Unity Government
(NUG) of Myanmar.
Reject Military!
#WearMask #WashHands #Distancing #TakePicturesVideos
Monthly Observances:
March – Women’s Role in History Month
April – Month of Planet Earth
Weekly Observances:
Last Week of March: Protection and Gender Fair Treatment of the Girl Child Week
Last Week of April – World Immunization Week
Daily Observances:
Mar 25 – International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transallantic Slave Trade
Mar 27– Earth Hour
Apr 21 – Civil Service Day
Apr 22 – World Earth Day
Apr 28 – World Day for Safety and Health at Work
