Alone 5% of French adults between the ages of 18 and 64 have sufficient physical activity to protect them from any health problem. This is the new finding drawn up by ANSES on February 15, 2022. In addition, even if you practice regular physical activity, your efforts risk being reduced to nothing if you do not move the rest of the day, in because of the deleterious effects of a seated position maintained for several hours.
What is “sitting disease”?
According to ANSES, 37% of adults spend more than eight hours a day in a seated position, in particular because of their professional activity. As a result, the risk of death is increased by 4 to 12% per additional hour beyond eight hours a day. For those spending more than five hours a day in front of the television, the risk of death from cardiovascular origin is then increased by 45%.
“This prolonged sitting poses many problems that are called “sitting diseases” or diseases of the sitting position” underlines Véronique Liesse, dietician-nutritionist, author of the Ledger of special energy food.
- It causes pain in the hip joints and a loosening of the abdominal strap.
- It causes pain in the spine and in particular in the lower back which sags.
- It calcifies the arteries therefore increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
- It increases the risk of diabetes, cancer, obesity and premature mortality.
Combined physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyle increase the risks
Physical inactivity corresponds to time spent being inactive, with muscle load close to or equal to zero.
And the risks associated with a sedentary lifestyle are aggravated if physical inactivity is important. More than a third of adults combine a lack of activity and a sedentary lifestyle, according to ANSES. “They are more exposed to cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers. They are also more at risk of hypertension or obesitynotes Professor Irène Margaritis, Head of the Nutrition Risk Assessment Unit at ANSES. In general, the risks associated with inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle are increased when they are combined.”
However, high-intensity physical activity can limit the health problems that a sedentary lifestyle can cause. For the 36% of so-called “very active” adults, a sedentary lifestyle has no consequences on all-cause mortality, for a sitting time of up to eight hours a day.
Which categories are more affected by the lack of physical activity?
ANSES notes that women are more affected by physical inactivity. 70% of them are below the activity levels identified for good healthcompared to 42% of men.
Adults with a low level of education and those under 45 appear to be the most exposed to a sedentary lifestyle. The proportion of people not reaching any threshold is higher in the Paris conurbation than in rural areas, in particular because the durations linked to domestic activities (gardening, DIY, cleaning) are longer among inhabitants of rural areas, notes ANSES.
What recommendations to fight against inactivity and sedentary lifestyle?
In 2016, ANSES had already identified several types and levels of activity for maintaining good health: practicing a cardiorespiratory activity at least 30 minutes, five times a weekFor example :
- cycling or walking, daily
- perform muscle strengthening once or twice a week (swimming, bodybuilding, tennis, etc.)
- and finally perform flexibility exercises, such as yoga, two to three times a week. But 95% of French adults do not reach this stage of physical activity.
ANSES first specifies that “personal initiative” occupies an important place. But the Agency also recommends carrying out information campaigns on the dangers of physical inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle, promoting the practice of physical activity and, finally, raising awareness among professionals from different backgrounds of the benefits of promote active mobility.
“It is the very organization of our lifestyles that needs to be reviewed: whether in the public space, by leaving more room for active mobility such as cycling or walking, or in the workplace, by limiting sedentary time, or in the school system, by increasing the time dedicated to physical and sports activities”ends Irène Margaritis.
Sources:
- Lack of physical activity and excessive sedentary lifestyle: a public health priority, ANSES press conference, 15 February 2022
- ANSES OPINION on the assessment of the risks related to the levels of physical activity and sedentary lifestyle of adults aged 18 to 64, excluding pregnant and postmenopausal womenJanuary 18, 2022
- The big “energy” food bookVéronique Liesse (ed. Leduc)
