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On your feet
Stop sitting to improve your mental health and life : USQ study .
By Wade Zaglas
A new study led by University of Southern Queensland Professor Stuart Biddle has concluded that long hours spent sitting might increase your chances of developing depression and having a poorer quality of life .
The study , titled ‘ Device-assessed total and prolonged sitting time : associations with anxiety , depression , and health-related quality of life in adults ’, was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders and contributes to experts ’ understanding of “ the causes and effects of sedentary behaviour on mental health ”.
The USQ academic has been involved in developing the latest guidelines for the World Health Organization on both physical activity and sedentary behaviour .
“ While there is substantial evidence of the harmful effects of sitting on our physical health , much less research has assessed whether higher levels of sedentary behaviour is associated with higher levels of mental health problems ,” Biddle said .
“ Our research suggests that total and prolonged sitting times are associated with a greater risk of depression and poorer quality of life .
“ We hope these results make people sit up and take notice .”
In conducting the study , the researchers analysed data from three studies , involving more than 1500 adults . They concluded that adults who sat for 9.2 hours per day on average and those who were sedentary for 4.9 hours per day on average ( in bouts of at least 30 minutes ) were 14 per cent more likely to “ be associated with higher levels of depression ”.
Biddle said the research data was strong as it was collected from “ researchgrade wearable devices – thigh-mounted accelerometers – designed to measure time spent sitting / lying , standing and stepping ”.
“ Previous research of this type has relied on self-reported sedentary behaviour , but we wanted to examine studies that used wearable devices because they have shown to be much more accurate ,” he said .
“ It meant we were able to look at the number of occasions each participant moved from sitting to standing during the trial , and calculate the amount of time they sat , stood and stepped .
“ Our findings could help guide preventive interventions and personalised treatments , as well as inform future studies that are needed to address the growing mental health crisis .”
We have created environments that encourage us to sit more and move less .
While the study highlighted how physical activity could potentially prevent and / or reduce the likelihood of individuals developing depression , Biddle said further research was needed into “ ambulatory adults ” to ascertain whether more physical activity could “ offset the negative mental health impacts of sitting for long periods ”.
“ Almost half of all Australians will experience mental health issues at some point of their lives ,” he said .
“ Given we spend an average of 39 hours per week doing sedentary activities , such as watching television , playing video games and using a computer , the more information we have about the links between sitting time and mental health , the better chance we have of delivering interventions that minimise the risks .
“ The biggest problem is we have created environments that encourage us to sit more and move less .
“ The challenge for us is to find easy ways to inject movement into our days , but sitting less is a good start . For those using wheelchairs , more movement is also essential .” ■
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