Walk into any office and one will likely see most people seated at their workstation. Indeed, most workstations are designed to support seated work postures. Seated work is the most comfortable for most work contexts, especially in an office environment. Seated work is also more comfortable compared to standing for extended periods of time, particularly for lower limbs.
However, time spent sitting, and more specifically engaged in sedentary behaviour and low-caloric activity, has been linked to health concerns. It seems that a general decrease in daily physical activity levels may be influenced more by decreased activity in workplaces than a general decrease in physical activity during leisure time . Even though people are making the effort to complete their recommended amount of vigorous physical activity daily, they are still considered “insufficiently active” because of the eight to 12 hours a day spent sitting at their job.
Researchers are focusing on the impact of sitting at work on one’s health, and determining what reasonable courses of action can be taken to reduce adverse health effects of office/sedentary work. One such intervention has been the introduction of sit-stand workstations.