| From Kaiser Permanente Washington Research |
Evidence is clear that sedentary behavior — sitting or lying down for long periods of time throughout the day — increases the risk of chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. But changing those patterns can be challenging. A new study led by researchers at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI) used a relatively simple approach to successfully reduce sitting time for a group of older adults by around 30 minutes a day. The reduction in sedentary time led to improvements in blood pressure comparable to those found in studies where participants increased their time spent exercising.
In the study, researchers used a computer model to randomly split participants into 2 groups. One group received a simple tabletop standing desk, an activity tracker, and 10 health coaching sessions over 6 months, in which they set goals for reducing their time spent sitting. The other group (the control group) also participated in health coaching, but their goals were focused on areas of health that were not related to standing or increasing activity. The study was published in JAMA Network Open.
“Our findings are really promising because sitting less is a change that may be easier for people than increasing physical activity, especially for older adults who are more likely to be living with restrictions like chronic pain or reduced physical ability,” said Dori Rosenberg, PhD, MPH, the lead author of the study and a senior investigator at KPWHRI.
All the participants were Kaiser Permanente Washington members age 60 to 89 who reported sitting for more than 6 hours a day. More than half had a diagnosis of high blood pressure, over a quarter had a diabetes diagnosis, and almost two-thirds took at least one medication for lowering blood pressure.
“In our study, participants sat for an average of more than 10.5 hours per day, or 70% of daily waking hours. This can put people at risk for health challenges like worsened physical ability and falls,” Rosenberg said. “There are also high rates of hypertension in adults over age 60. Our preliminary research suggested that this intervention, focused on standing more during the day, could have a positive effect on blood pressure and potentially reduce other health risks.” (continued)