The evidence-based analysis of standing and sitting postures. In the last year or so, media has been flooded with articles about ill effects of prolonged sitting and the need for standing up when working. There have also been research reports calling sitting as “new smoking” and linking it with everything from risk of cancer, heart disease and “dying 2 years sooner”. How much of this is true? And how much is the hype created by furniture companies and social media? Must everyone have an expensive stand-sit desk? Are there any jobs which are better done sitting down than standing or vice versa? Are there any downsides to standing, too? This talk examines the topic of standing vs sitting at work holistically and objectively. Leveraging on human anatomy, biomechanics and years of empirical research in the field of workspace ergonomics, you will understand the finer nuances of sitting vs standing postures and it’s long term effects on health and productivity. From a practical stand-point, you will also be able to know the various strategies an organization may implement to enable its employees to adopt the right postures and the return-on-investment for the different options.

1. SITTING VS STANDING
ERGO FACTS AND FICTION
MAY 14, 2015
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE
Yogesh Tadwalkar
Managing Director
Synergo Consulting Pte Ltd
www.synergo.com.sg

2. ABOUT
 Managing Ergonomics Programs
 Workspace Audits
 Personal Ergo Assessments
 Ergo Training
 Accident Prevention
 Product Design Benchmarking
Pragmatic Ergonomics Consulting
www.synergo.com.sg

3. CONTENTS
 The buzz about ill-effects of prolonged sitting
 Underlying Research
 Reliability of Research
 Sit-stand desks: Is it justifiable?
 Workplace strategies to promote standing at work
 Effects of prolonged standing
 Conclusion

4. THE BUZZ

5. IS SITTING PUTTING US IN THE GRAVE EARLY?

6. THE RESEARCH
Adults who sit for 11 hours/day or more have a
40% increased risk of dying in the next 3 years
than those who sit for less than 4 hours/ day.
(School of Public Health, University of Sydney, 2012 )
 Sitting for more than 6 hours a day, can make
someone at least 18% more likely to die within 15
years from diabetes, heart disease and obesity
than those sitting less than 3 hours a day
(American Journal of Epidemiology, 2010 )
 People who sit excessively are 54% more likely to
die of heart attacks
(Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana)

7. THE RESEARCH
 Even if you exercise nearly every day, those health benefits can be undone
if you spend the rest of your time sitting.
(American Cancer Society, 2010)
 Prolonged sitting - for eight to 12 hours or more a day - increases the risk
of developing type 2 diabetes by 90%
(Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, 2015)
 Those who sit for more than 6 hours were more likely to have moderate to
high psychological distress than those who sat fewer than 3 hours.
(Menzies Research Institute Tasmania, University of Tasmania, Australia)
 Women between 50-55, who sit for 7 hours per day are thrice as likely to
have symptoms of depression than those who sat for fewer than 4 hours
(Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living, Victoria University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.)

8. ARE HAZARDS OF PROLONGED SITTING RECENT?
“London's double-decker bus drivers were
more likely to die from cardiovascular
disease than the bus conductors, and that
government clerks were more likely to die
than mail carriers.”
- Jeremy Morris, British epidemiologist, 1953

9. SOME KNEW IT…

10. SOME DIDN’T !

11. EFFECT

12. IS THE RESEARCH BELIEVABLE?
Longitudinal studies, meta-analyses of many
research studies, credible experimental design,
experienced researchers
“Data in some of these research studies maybe
correlational; i.e. it’s not clear whether people got
the diseases due to excessive sitting or whether
they were more sedentary due to the diseases.”

13. THE AFTERMATH

14. THE AFTERMATH

15. SO IS SIT-STAND DESK AT OFFICE A MUST?
Although alarming, the research findings
refer to OVERALL SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE.
As such, believing that sit-stand desks are
the panacea to all our sitting vows is
unrealistic and misleading!

16. SIT-STAND DESKS: REDUCED SITTING AND PRODUCTIVITY
 Reduction in prolonged sitting and
improvement in mood states
 Self-reported reduction in symptoms of
Musculoskeletal Disorders
 Shorter meetings 
 Self-reported increase in Productivity
 Higher motivation to work
A Placebo Effect?
• Hedge, A. and Ray, E.J. (2004) Effects of an electronic height-adjustable worksurface on self-assessed musculoskeletal
discomfort and productivity among computer workers.
• Reducing Occupational Sitting Time and Improving Worker Health: The Take-a-Stand Project, 2011; Nicolaas P. Pronk, PhD et all
Discomfort Ratings

17. TYPES OF SIT-STAND DESKS AND COSTS
1. DIY; S$35 2. Desk-mount; S$500-700 3. Full Desk; S$1600-3000
Electric
Crank

18. THE PERILS OF STANDING
 According to a
2011 Mayo Clinic study,
typing speed and accuracy
decreased by 16% while
walking.
 A 2009 University of
Tennessee study found that
walking decreased
employees' fine motor skills
by 11%, as well as their
math problem solving skills.

19. WORKPLACE STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE STANDING
 Every employee gets a sit-stand desk
 Pros:
 Inclusive
 Creates higher motivation
 Improves productivity
 Promotes overall health
 Cons
High one-time cost
Doesn’t guarantee usage over time
Some employees may stand for too-long
1. Sit-stand for All

20. RELATIVE COST OF A SIT-STAND DESK
3. Full Desk; S$1600-3000
 Amount spent on each
employee for everyday coffee
$2
 Total amount spent on coffee
in 3 years
(Average employee tenure)
$1500
2. Desk-mount; S$500-700

21. WORKPLACE STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE STANDING
 A few sit-stand desks placed across
office (e.g. 10 sit-stands for 100
employees)
 Pros:
 Cost-savings
 Cons
May get hogged
Doesn’t create inclusive feeling
2. Sit-stand hot-desks

22. WORKPLACE STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE STANDING
 Only employees with medical needs get
a sit-stand desk
 Pros:
 Cost-saving
 Conveys there are other ways to ‘Move and be active’
 Helps take care of medical conditions
 Cons
 Non-inclusive
 Positions standing as ‘Cure’ rather than prevention
 Improper usage may worsen medical condition
3. Sit-stand for
Medical Needs

23. WORKPLACE STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE STANDING
 No-one gets sit stand but focus is on
alternative ways to promote active work
 Pros:
 Cost-savings
 Conveys ‘Move and be active’ as holistic concept
 Cons
 Onus is on employee habits and perceptions
 Other departments need to support. e.g. Wellness
4. No sit-stand

24. PROLONGED STANDING AT WORK
 Assembling, testing, or repairing larger products (i.e., greater than 6 inches high)
 When you must reach more than 15” past the front edge of the workstation. (Sengupta
& Das, 2000).
 When you work in more than one workspace to perform job duties and must move
around frequently.
 Dealing with heavy objects weighting more than 10 pounds. More strength can be
exerted while standing (Mital & Faard, 1990)
 Stand when you need to maximize grip forces (Catovic, Catovic, Kraljevic & Muftic,
1991) or complete static or dynamic lifts (Yates, & Karwowksi, 1992).
 Obstruction under the surface (i.e. working on a conveyor or a progressive assembly
line, working in a kitchen, etc.)
 Tasks require frequent application of downward pressures (loading bags, inserting
screws)

25. THE PERILS OF PROLONGED STANDING
 Low Back Pain, Cervical (Neck) Discomfort
 Pooling of the blood in the legs, with
sluggish return of blood to the heart
 Leg Swelling, varicose veins, nocturnal leg
cramps
 Preterm birth and spontaneous abortion
 Cardiovascular disease, especially for
those standing in a fixed posture
Alternate between sitting and standing !

26. BE ACTIVE AT WORK
1. Walk or bike to MRT station
2. Park your car farther from building
3. Use stairs not elevators
4. Have stand-up meetings
5. Stand up when you talk on the phone.
6. Don’t send emails if the recipient is
near; walk over and talk to him or her.
7. Stand on the bus or train.
Buddy system and Real
corporate incentives work!

27. BE ACTIVE IN LIFE

28. CONCLUSION  Research has proven that prolonged sitting can
seriously affect physical and mental health. This
includes heart disease, cancer, obesity,
depression, and type 2 diabetes.
 Regular exercise cannot counter the effects of
sedentary lifestyle
 Standing more throughout the day and being
active is critical for good health
 A sit-stand desk, although helpful in reducing
the overall sitting during the day, is not a must
 Organizations must implement effective
strategies to promote standing and activity

29. THANKS! yogesh@synergo.com.sg
www.synergo.com.sg
SITTING VS STANDING
ERGO FACTS VS. FICTION
http://www.linkedin.com/in/yogeshtadwalkar
www.synergo.com.sg
Synergo Consulting: https://www.facebook.com/synergoconsulting
Ergo Matters !: https://www.facebook.com/groups/227129330827428/
https://twitter.com/synergosg

30. REFERENCES
 Dunstan DW, et al. Television viewing time and mortality: The Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle
Study (AusDiab). Circulation. 2010;121:384.
 Sedentary Time and Its Association With Risk for Disease Incidence, Mortality, and Hospitalization in
Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis - Aviroop Biswas, BSc; Paul I. Oh, MD, MSc; Guy E. Faulkner,
PhD; Ravi R. Bajaj, MD; Michael A. Silver, BSc; Marc S. Mitchell, MSc; and David A. Alter
 Levine JA, et al. Move a Little, Lose a Lot. New York, N.Y.: Crown Publishing Group; 2009:26.
 Matthews CE, et al. Amount of time spent in sedentary behaviors and cause-specific mortality in US adults.
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2012;95:437.
 Hamilton M.T., Hamilton D.G., Zderic T.W. (2007) Role of Low Energy Expenditure and Sitting in Obesity,
Metabolic Syndrome, Type 2 Diabetes, and Cardiovascular Disease Diabetes, 56:2655-2667
 Hedge A., Ray E.J. (2004) Effects of an electronic height-adjustable worksurface on self-assessed
musculoskeletal discomfort and productivity among computer workers, Proceedings of the Human Factors
and Ergonomics Society 48th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, Sept. 20-24, HFES, Santa Monica, 1091-
1095.

31. REFERENCES
 Krause N., Lynch J.W., Kaplan G.A., Cohen R.D., Salonen R., Salonen J.T. (2000) Standing at work and
progression of carotid atherosclerosis. Scand J Work Environ Health, 26(3):227-236
 Tüchsen F., Krause N., Hannerz H., Burr H., Kristensen T.S. (2000) Standing at work and varicose veins.
Scand J Work Environ Health, 26(5):414-420.
 Wilks S., Mortimer M., Nylén P. (2005) The introduction of sit–stand worktables; aspects of attitudes,
compliance and satisfaction. App. Erg., 37 (3), 359-365.
 Reducing Occupational Sitting Time and Improving Worker Health: The Take-a-Stand Project, 2011.
Nicolaas P. Pronk, PhD; Abigail S. Katz, PhD; Marcia Lowry, MS; Jane Rodmyre Payfer.
 Leisure Time Spent Sitting in Relation to Total Mortality in a Prospective Cohort of US Adults. Alpa V.
Patel*, Leslie Bernstein, Anusila Deka, Heather Spencer Feigelson, Peter T. Campbell, Susan M. Gapstur,
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 Katzmarzyk PT, Church TS, Craig CL, Bouchard C. Sitting time and mortality from all causes,
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