We’re frequently exhorted to get off our sofas and get active, but it seems such public health campaigns are not having enough impact.

A pan-European study has found that since 2002 people have tended only to become more sedentary. In 2002, just over 49% of Europeans displayed “sedentary behaviours” – meaning they spent more than four and a half hours a day sitting. However by 2017, that had crept up to 54.5%. Among British men, the change was more extreme. In 2002, 45.7% showed sedentary behaviours; by 2017 this had risen to 57.2%. Among women, the proportion rose from 42.4% to 49.4%.

“This negative lifestyle change presents a major risk factor in the development of many chronic diseases such as obesity, type-2 diabetes, hypertension, cancers, and even premature death,” report its authors, in the journal BMC Public Health. They speculate the rise could be down to longer commutes, more labour-saving devices, and the growth of screen-based recreation.   (The Week, 5 Sept 2020)

My comment:  My wife and I go forwalks outside every day.  We also have two flights of stairs which, because of the design of the house, means that we have to go up and down those stairs multiple times a day.  Homes with more than one storey are better for your health, but more tiring.  Problem: I enjoy drawing and water colors.   Result ? A lot of sitting.  Who am I to lecture?