VicHealth eUpdate: 14th September 2016

Desk-bound office workers had their daily sitting times slashed by more than an hour in a unique trial aimed at ­improving their health.

The trial among Victorian public servants included ­installing height-­adjustable desks. The trial has had a lasting impact, with most of them still sitting for 45 minutes less a day one year on.

Excessive sitting is defined as unbroken bouts of 30 minutes or more, and has been linked to premature death, ­diabetes and an increased risk of heart disease.

Head of physical activity ­research at Melbourne’s Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute Professor David Dunstan, said the average Australian sat for nine hours a day.

Recent research suggests people need to do at least one hour of physical activity, such as brisk walking or cycling, to undo the increased risk of death associated with sitting for eight hours a day.

Find out more about this recent trial to reduce sitting amongst office workers in Melbourne.