Sedentary time at school and work in Canada

TL;DR

This study estimates how much time Canadians spend sitting at school and work, finding that youth and working-age adults spend around 4-5 hours per day sedentary in these settings.

Contribution

This is the first study to estimate school and work sedentary time in a representative sample of Canadians.

Findings

Canadian youth and adults aged 18–34 spend an average of 4.5 and 5.2 hours per day sedentary at school.

Work sedentary time among adults aged 18–34 is associated with better general health but worse mental health.

Sedentary time varies across sociodemographic subgroups.

Abstract

High levels of sedentary time (ST) are associated with poor physical and mental health. Given that Canadians spend a large portion of their days at school and work, they may be important targets for reducing ST. Our objectives are to estimate the daily amount of school and work ST among Canadians, examine differences by subgroups, and determine associations with health.

Using the 2020 Canadian Community Health Survey Healthy Living Rapid Response module (N = 5242), the amount of time spent sitting while at school and work was estimated among youth (12–17 years) and adults (18–34 and 35–64 years). Differences by sociodemographics and 24-Hour Movement Guideline adherence were assessed with independent t-tests. Associations between school and work ST and health indicators were assessed using adjusted logistic regression.

Canadian youth aged 12–17 years and adults aged 18–34 years reported an average of 4.5 and 5.2 h/day of school ST, respectively. Adults 18–34 years and 35–64 years reported an average of 3.9 and 4.0 h/day of work ST, respectively. School and work ST differed within several subgroups. Among adults 18–34 years, higher school ST was associated with a reduced odds of ‘excellent/very good’ mental health, whereas higher work ST was associated with a greater likelihood of reporting ‘excellent/very good’ general health.

Canadian youth and working-age adults report an average of 4–5 h/day sedentary at school or work. This is the first study estimating school and work ST in a representative sample of Canadians and will aid in increasing awareness of setting-specific behaviours to better inform targeted interventions including addressing inequalities in ST.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.17269/s41997-023-00835-9.

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