sit vs stand: ergonomic facts and fiction

SITTING VS STANDING ERGO FACTS AND FICTION

MAY 14, 2015NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE

Yogesh Tadwalkar

Managing Director

Synergo Consulting Pte Ltd

www.synergo.com.sg

ABOUT

Managing Ergonomics Programs

Workspace Audits

Personal Ergo Assessments

Ergo Training

Accident Prevention

Product Design Benchmarking

Pragmatic Ergonomics Consultingwww.synergo.com.sg

CONTENTS

The buzz about ill-effects of prolonged sitting

Underlying Research

Reliability of Research

Sit-stand desks: Is it justifiable?

Workplace strategies to promote standing at work

Effects of prolonged standing

Conclusion

THE BUZZ

IS SITTING PUTTING US IN THE GRAVE EARLY?

THE RESEARCH

Adults who sit for 11 hours/day or more have a 40% increased risk of dying in the next 3 years than those who sit for less than 4 hours/ day. (School of Public Health, University of Sydney, 2012 )

Sitting for more than 6 hours a day, can make someone at least 18% more likely to die within 15 years from diabetes, heart disease and obesity than those sitting less than 3 hours a day (American Journal of Epidemiology, 2010 )

People who sit excessively are 54% more likely to die of heart attacks (Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana)

THE RESEARCH

Even if you exercise nearly every day, those health benefits can be undone if you spend the rest of your time sitting. (American Cancer Society, 2010)

Prolonged sitting - for eight to 12 hours or more a day - increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 90% (Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, 2015)

Those who sit for more than 6 hours were more likely to have moderate to high psychological distress than those who sat fewer than 3 hours.(Menzies Research Institute Tasmania, University of Tasmania, Australia)

Women between 50-55, who sit for 7 hours per day are thrice as likely to have symptoms of depression than those who sat for fewer than 4 hours(Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living, Victoria University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.)

ARE HAZARDS OF PROLONGED SITTING RECENT?

“London's double-decker bus drivers were more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than the bus conductors, and that government clerks were more likely to die than mail carriers.”

- Jeremy Morris, British epidemiologist, 1953

SOME KNEW IT…

SOME DIDN’T !

EFFECT

IS THE RESEARCH BELIEVABLE?

Longitudinal studies, meta-analyses of many research studies, credible experimental design, experienced researchers

“Data in some of these research studies maybe correlational; i.e. it’s not clear whether people got the diseases due to excessive sitting or whether they were more sedentary due to the diseases.” -Alan Hedge, Cornell University Ergo Labs

THE AFTERMATH

THE AFTERMATH

SO IS SIT-STAND DESK AT OFFICE A MUST?

Although alarming, the research findings refer to OVERALL SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE.As such, believing that sit-stand desks are the panacea to all our sitting vows is unrealistic and misleading!

SIT-STAND DESKS: REDUCED SITTING AND PRODUCTIVITY

Reduction in prolonged sitting and improvement in mood states

Self-reported reduction in symptoms of Musculoskeletal Disorders

Shorter meetings

Self-reported increase in Productivity

Higher motivation to work

A Placebo Effect? • Hedge, A. and Ray, E.J. (2004) Effects of an electronic height-adjustable worksurface on self-assessed musculoskeletal

discomfort and productivity among computer workers.

• Reducing Occupational Sitting Time and Improving Worker Health: The Take-a-Stand Project, 2011; Nicolaas P. Pronk, PhD et all

Discomfort Ratings

TYPES OF SIT-STAND DESKS AND COSTS

1. DIY; S$35 2. Desk-mount; S$500-700 3. Full Desk; S$1600-3000

Electric

Crank

THE PERILS OF STANDING

According to a 2011 Mayo Clinic study, typing speed and accuracy decreased by 16% while walking.

A 2009 University of Tennessee study found that walking decreased employees' fine motor skills by 11%, as well as their math problem solving skills.

WORKPLACE STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE STANDING

Every employee gets a sit-stand desk

Pros: Inclusive

Creates higher motivation

Improves productivity

Promotes overall health

ConsHigh one-time cost

Doesn’t guarantee usage over time

Some employees may stand for too-long

1. Sit-stand for All

RELATIVE COST OF A SIT-STAND DESK

3. Full Desk; S$1600-3000

Amount spent on each employee for everyday coffee

$2

Total amount spent on coffee in 3 years (Average employee tenure)

$1500

2. Desk-mount; S$500-700

WORKPLACE STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE STANDING

A few sit-stand desks placed across office (e.g. 10 sit-stands for 100 employees)

Pros: Cost-savings

ConsMay get hogged

Doesn’t create inclusive feeling

2. Sit-stand hot-desks

WORKPLACE STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE STANDING

Only employees with medical needs get a sit-stand desk

Pros: Cost-saving

Conveys there are other ways to ‘Move and be active’

Helps take care of medical conditions

Cons Non-inclusive

Positions standing as ‘Cure’ rather than prevention

Improper usage may worsen medical condition

3. Sit-stand for

Medical Needs

WORKPLACE STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE STANDING

No-one gets sit stand but focus is on alternative ways to promote active work

Pros: Cost-savings

Conveys ‘Move and be active’ as holistic concept

Cons Onus is on employee habits and perceptions

Other departments need to support. e.g. Wellness

4. No sit-stand

PROLONGED STANDING AT WORK

Assembling, testing, or repairing larger products (i.e., greater than 6 inches high)

When you must reach more than 15” past the front edge of the workstation. (Sengupta & Das, 2000).

When you work in more than one workspace to perform job duties and must move around frequently.

Dealing with heavy objects weighting more than 10 pounds. More strength can be exerted while standing (Mital & Faard, 1990)

Stand when you need to maximize grip forces (Catovic, Catovic, Kraljevic & Muftic, 1991) or complete static or dynamic lifts (Yates, & Karwowksi, 1992).

Obstruction under the surface (i.e. working on a conveyor or a progressive assembly line, working in a kitchen, etc.)

Tasks require frequent application of downward pressures (loading bags, inserting screws)

THE PERILS OF PROLONGED STANDING

Low Back Pain, Cervical (Neck) Discomfort

Pooling of the blood in the legs, with sluggish return of blood to the heart

Leg Swelling, varicose veins, nocturnal leg cramps

Preterm birth and spontaneous abortion

Cardiovascular disease, especially for those standing in a fixed posture

Alternate between sitting and standing !

BE ACTIVE AT WORK

1. Walk or bike to MRT station

2. Park your car farther from building

3. Use stairs not elevators

4. Have stand-up meetings

5. Stand up when you talk on the phone.

6. Don’t send emails if the recipient is near; walk over and talk to him or her.

7. Stand on the bus or train.

Buddy system and Real

corporate incentives work!

BE ACTIVE IN LIFE

CONCLUSION Research has proven that prolonged sitting can seriously affect physical and mental health. This includes heart disease, cancer, obesity, depression, and type 2 diabetes.

Regular exercise cannot counter the effects of sedentary lifestyle

Standing more throughout the day and being active is critical for good health

A sit-stand desk, although helpful in reducing the overall sitting during the day, is not a must

Organizations must implement effective strategies to promote standing and activity

THANKS! yogesh@synergo.com.sg

www.synergo.com.sg

SITTING VS STANDING ERGO FACTS VS. FICTION

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REFERENCES

Dunstan DW, et al. Television viewing time and mortality: The Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study (AusDiab). Circulation. 2010;121:384.

Sedentary Time and Its Association With Risk for Disease Incidence, Mortality, and Hospitalization in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis - Aviroop Biswas, BSc; Paul I. Oh, MD, MSc; Guy E. Faulkner, PhD; Ravi R. Bajaj, MD; Michael A. Silver, BSc; Marc S. Mitchell, MSc; and David A. Alter

Levine JA, et al. Move a Little, Lose a Lot. New York, N.Y.: Crown Publishing Group; 2009:26.

Matthews CE, et al. Amount of time spent in sedentary behaviors and cause-specific mortality in US adults. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2012;95:437.

Hamilton M.T., Hamilton D.G., Zderic T.W. (2007) Role of Low Energy Expenditure and Sitting in Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome, Type 2 Diabetes, and Cardiovascular Disease Diabetes, 56:2655-2667

Hedge A., Ray E.J. (2004) Effects of an electronic height-adjustable worksurface on self-assessed musculoskeletal discomfort and productivity among computer workers, Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 48th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, Sept. 20-24, HFES, Santa Monica, 1091-1095.

REFERENCES

Krause N., Lynch J.W., Kaplan G.A., Cohen R.D., Salonen R., Salonen J.T. (2000) Standing at work and progression of carotid atherosclerosis. Scand J Work Environ Health, 26(3):227-236

Tüchsen F., Krause N., Hannerz H., Burr H., Kristensen T.S. (2000) Standing at work and varicose veins. Scand J Work Environ Health, 26(5):414-420.

Wilks S., Mortimer M., Nylén P. (2005) The introduction of sit–stand worktables; aspects of attitudes, compliance and satisfaction. App. Erg., 37 (3), 359-365.

Reducing Occupational Sitting Time and Improving Worker Health: The Take-a-Stand Project, 2011. Nicolaas P. Pronk, PhD; Abigail S. Katz, PhD; Marcia Lowry, MS; Jane Rodmyre Payfer.

Leisure Time Spent Sitting in Relation to Total Mortality in a Prospective Cohort of US Adults. Alpa V. Patel*, Leslie Bernstein, Anusila Deka, Heather Spencer Feigelson, Peter T. Campbell, Susan M. Gapstur, Graham A. Colditz and Michael J. Thun

Katzmarzyk PT, Church TS, Craig CL, Bouchard C. Sitting time and mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41:998-1005.