June 15, 2011 – While increased consumption of food, junk food, time spent in front of a television or computer, and lack of active recreation have been blamed for the epidemic of obesity, the sedentary lifestyle at work is now at the center of research interests.
According to a study1 of physical activity at work in the United States, 50 years ago, half of all jobs required moderate exertion compared to only 20% today.
Jobs related to the production of goods, that is to say in the fields of manufacturing, construction and agriculture, as well as logging and mining have lost ground compared to so-called jobs. on duty.
According to the researchers, this transition to this job category resulted in a lower daily energy expenditure of about 100 calories, for both men and women. However, this largely explains the increase in the average weight of Americans observed over the past 50 years, note the authors of the study.
One in four Canadians is obese, according to Statistics Canada. Obesity has been a concern of public health authorities for several years now and all agree that the scourge of the XXIe century is multifactorial.
Carl-Étienne Juneau is also devoting his doctorate in public health at the University of Montreal to the issue. The present results are similar to his2 insofar as, as in the United States, there is a marked decrease in physical activity at work.
“Canadians get an average of 30 minutes a day of physical activity during their leisure time, which is slightly more than Americans. They are also less and less active during their working days which last about 8 hours. The result is less physical activity in all for a day, since work takes up more space in the daily schedule. Total physical activity is therefore on the decline, hence the observed obesity epidemic, ”explains Mr. Juneau.
A sedentary lifestyle at work stems from the growing presence of technology in the daily tasks of workers, which means more work in a seated position than tasks that require a certain physical strength. The researchers therefore believe that the authorities should focus their interventions in a way that promotes active leisure.
How to integrate physical activity into work?
According to Carl-Étienne Juneau, the discourse of promoting health and physical activity has long focused on individual responsibility. “I think that the promotion of physical activity should look to the environments and less target people. Simple measures can help change work environments and thus make it easier for workers to practice physical activity, ”he says.
For example, an employer may provide safe places for bicycles and showers for workers who decide to pedal to the office. It can also offer flexible hours to allow employees to work out in the morning or over lunchtime. Finally, suggests Mr. Juneau, the employer can defray the costs of subscriptions to a fitness center or group classes in the workplace.
It is also possible to move while working, recalls Mr. Juneau. You can, for example, use a Swiss ball instead of a chair, opt for a raised desk to work standing or even hold meetings while walking.
In Canada, as in the United States for that matter, it is recommended that adults aged 18 and over engage in 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week. However, barely 1 in 5 people follow this recommendation.
Louis M. Gagné – PasseportSanté.net
1 Church, TS, Thomas DM et al. Trends over 5 Decades in US Occupation-Related Physical Activity and Their Associations with Obesity, PLoS One. 2011; 6 (5): e19657.
2 See our new Obesity and overweight: sedentary lifestyle at work could be the cause.
