Keeping track of sitting may help adults sit less

The review

1. 01

   Who took part

   2,800 adults took part in 19 studies. In 14 studies the average age was 18 to 60, and in 5 it was over 60.

2. 02

   What they did

   People in these groups tracked their time spent sitting, usually along with other changes. Most ran for 12 weeks or less, and the longest ran for a year. The other groups got nothing.

3. 03

   What happened

   Sitting time fell by about 34 minutes a day more than in the other groups, but only with device tracking. Sitting at work fell more too, but breaks from sitting did not go up. The paper's numbers don't fully agree, so treat the sizes with care.

What the review found

1. Helped

   Across 16 studies, people who tracked their sitting, plus other changes, sat less each day than those who got nothing.

   • Action: Track your progresstested

   Pooled analysis of 16 studies · vs people who got nothing · ⚠ whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited; mixes trials with other kinds of study

2. Helped

   Across 5 studies, people who tracked their sitting, plus other changes, sat less at work than those who got nothing.

   • Action: Track your progresstested

   Pooled analysis of 5 studies with 525 people · vs people who got nothing · ⚠ the studies disagreed a lot; whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited; mixes trials with other kinds of study

3. No difference

   Across 3 studies, people who tracked their sitting, plus other changes, took no more breaks than those who got nothing.

   • Action: Track your progressused

   Pooled analysis of 3 studies · vs people who got nothing · ⚠ whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited; mixes trials with other kinds of study

Source