America
Even New Yorkers sitting for long unhealthy hours
New York, June 4
The Big Apple is one of the
most walkable cities in the US but New Yorkers are sitting far more than
what is considered healthy, says a study.
According to
researchers from the New York University Langone Medical Centre, the
average New York City resident sits more than seven hours a day -
greatly exceeding the three hours or more per day that is associated
with decreased life expectancy.
They found that Whites spent on
average 7.8 hours per day sitting, African-Americans spent 7.4 hours
sitting, Hispanics spent 5.4 hours sitting, and Asian-Americans spent
7.9 hours per day sitting.
Sitting time was highest in Manhattan compared to other boroughs.
Average sitting time was highest among adults who were college educated, in higher income brackets or 65 years of age or older.
In
contrast, lower-income individuals with less education, Hispanics and
foreign-born New Yorkers spent the least amount of time sitting.
Sitting
time is linked to death from heart disease and other causes, with life
expectancy increasing by two years if adults reduced their sitting time
to three hours per day.
Individuals who exercise regularly but
are still sedentary for several hours a day may be at greater risk for
adverse health outcomes than their physical activity levels might
suggest.
"Interventions for decreasing sitting time at work and
home are needed to improve health outcomes across all groups - not just
those identified as having the longest sitting times," said Stella S.
Yi, assistant professor of population health at NYU Langone.
Although
Yi believes that those who sit the most are probably employed in office
jobs, she says it is important to recognise differences within racial
and ethnic groups.
Whites and Asian-Americans have the highest
sitting times but Asian-Americans tend to hold occupations at both ends
of the socio-economic spectrum.
"For example, Asian-Americans
hold both desk jobs and jobs in commercial settings like nail salons
that offer little opportunity for reducing sitting time."
The study was published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in its journal Preventing Chronic Disease.