Health Tips

According to WHO, 60 to 85% of people in the world from both developed and developing countries, lead sedentary lifestyles, making it one of the more serious yet insufficiently addressed public health problems of our time.¹ This has become a significant public health issue as it is widely linked to a range of chronic health conditions.¹⁰ A sedentary lifestyle is a lifestyle with a lot of sitting and lying down, with very little to no exercise, often we will call them “couch potato”. This is seen frequently in the modern times, regardless of working adults or children at school. Many are indulged in accomplishing their work, surfing the internet, watching television, sitting in transportations and many more that does not require any physical movements. It was noted in the findings of a 2016 study published by San Francisco, US-based PLOS One, that Malaysia has been identified as one of the least physically active countries in the world with over 60 percent of adults being essentially sedentary.² Why are these numbers and facts significant? Let’s find out.

Here are some ways to overcome it: ^6,7

While you are at home

 While you are at work³

To learn more, please visit these websites:

https://www.myhealthmylife.com.my/                 https://www.menshealth.com.my/

Reference:

1. World Health Organization. Physical inactivity a leading cause of disease and disability, warns WHO. Available at: https://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/release23/en/#:~:text=Sedentary%20lifest% 20yles%20increase%20all%20causes,lipid%20disorders%2C%20depression%20and%20anxiety. Accessed on 19 October 2020.
2. Bernama.com. Prevalence of Sedentary Behaviour 'Relatively High' in Malaysia. Available at: https:// www.bernama.com/en/features/news.php?id=1804672#:~:text=%22It%20(study)%2 0said% 20Malaysia,reasonably%20high%2C%22%20she%20added. Accessed on 19 October 2020
3. Simpson RJ, Guy K. Gerontol. 2010; 56: 449-458.
4. Wilmot EG, Edwardson CL, Achana FA, et al. Diabetologia. 2012; 55(11): 2895- 2905.
5. Thorp AA, Owen N, Neuhaus M, Dunstan DW. Am. J. Prev. Med. 2011; 41(2): 207-215.
6. Medline Plus. Health Risks of an Inactive Lifestyle. Available at: https://medlineplus.gov/ healthrisksofaninactivelifestyle.html. Accessed on 19 October 2020.
7. Cleveland Clinic. Are Standing Desks Better for You? Available at: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/will- standing-work-improve-health/. Accessed on 19 October 2020.
8. Healthline. Is Sitting Too Much Bad for Your Health? Available at: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/why- sitting-is-bad-for-you. Accessed on 19 October 2020.
9. Krogh-Madsen R, Thyfault JP, Broholm C, et al. J. Appl. Physiol. 2010; 108(5): 1034-1040.
10. Kandola A. What are the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle? Available at: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322910. Accessed on 28 October 2020.
11. Silva, B.G.C.d., Silva, I.C.M.d., Ekelund, U. et al. Scientific Reports 9. 2019; 5444.
12. Alberts B, Johnson A, Lewis J, et al. Molecular Biology of the Cell. 4th edition. 2002; Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK26921/. Accessed on 28 October 2020.
13. Bankoski A, Harris TB, McClain JJ, et al. Sedentary activity associated with metabolic syndrome independent of physical activity. Diabetes Care. 2011;34(2):497-503.

Written by

Ms. Charlotte Lee