Sedentary work and measuring physical activity in applied sedentary behavior research.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Wild S ; Wipfli B
• Description:
  There is a long-term, global trend towards physical inactivity and sedentary behavior (Kohl et al., 2012) that persists in work and non-work settings. Worldwide, physical inactivity is estimated to be the fourth leading cause of death (Kohl et al., 2012). In the United States in particular, labor force trends have resulted in a steady increase in the prevalence of sedentary jobs and a population level decrease in energy expenditure at work (Church et al., 2011). To date most employers have not treated sedentary work like a traditional safety or health hazard. The reasons for this are likely multifaceted and complex, but one reason may be the lagging consequences of exposure. The impacts of slips, trips, and falls on employee health and organizational expenses, for example, are immediate. However, the consequences of sedentary behavior, which include increased risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, injury, all-cause mortality, and more (see Tudor-Locke & Schuna, 2012), develop over long periods of time and may not cause an immediate expense for employers. Workplace sedentary behavior is also intertwined with overall sedentary behavior. Employers may view sedentary behavior as something that employees should address during non-work time. But as a place where many people spend 50% of waking hours, the workplace plays a significant role in overall sedentary behavior, and employers should therefore bear some responsibility for reducing exposure to sedentary work. From an employer perspective, as the consequences of sedentary work become clearer and more pervasive, they should proactively protect the health and safety of employees and reduce or eliminate exposure to sedentary work. From a researcher perspective, it is important to identify and disseminate effective strategies for reducing exposure to sedentary work. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Behavior Occupational Health Safety Workplace
• Keywords:
  Work environment; Sedentary lifestyle; Office workers; Health protection; Behavior; Employee health; Physical exercise
• Publisher:
  Society for Occupational Health Psychology
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Newsletter
• Place as Subject:
  Oregon ; OSHA Region 10
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  11-12
• Volume:
  21
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20065743
• Citation:
  Society for Occupational Health Psychology Newsletter 2019 Spring; 21:11-12
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• NORA Priority Area:
  Services ; Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities
• Performing Organization:
  Oregon Health & Science University, Portland
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20110901
• Source Full Name:
  Society for Occupational Health Psychology Newsletter
• End Date:
  20260831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:3cfdc126d0857e3f5e30d3fb073cd3fa7e71882309798a1447924b30c2807b0688184868043146a9faf1f4e1912c5fa08b42c972c19eb18cfccac9a89c22959d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/249533/cdc_249533_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 694.51 KB ]