Sedentary behaviour is referred to any waking behaviour characterised by low energy expenditure of less than 1.5 metabolic equivalent of tasks. Sedentary behaviour has been showed to significantly associate with the increased risk of various chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. A person may be considered sedentary by accumulating more than 8 hours of sitting per day including sitting at work, during transportation or leisure time. Interestingly, Nguyen et al. (2022) estimated the potential health and economic benefits of reducing population sitting time per day in Australia with mathematical modelling. According to the model, if all Australian adults sat no more than 4 h per day, the total health-adjusted life years (HALYs) gained would be approximately 17,211 with healthcare cost savings of approximately A$185 million over one year. Moreover, in adults who sit 4 or more hours per day, reducing sitting time by approximately 36 minutes per person per day would result in HALYs gained of 3,670 and healthcare cost saving of A$39 million over one year. Although there might be variation in health and economic benefits, reducing sedentary time among general public will certainly reduce public health burden, regardless of location.

Reference:

Nguyen et al. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2022;19(1). doi:10.1186/S12966-022-01276-2