Health report Eleven hours sitting per day

Eleven hours sitting a day
Fewer and fewer people work in Germany using their physical strength. Most of the time we spend sitting. That, however, for too serious illnesses. According to a recent study by private health insurance DKV, Germans are moving less and less.

Screens and desks determine the day-to-day work of many people. Forty-six percent of working people said to one that they work mainly at the desk. This applies above all to people with higher educational qualifications and higher income. "The head is active, but from the body's point of view, one has to say: Almost half of the working people are mainly paid to sit around," says Clemens Muth, CEO of the DKV. People with desk jobs sit on average 73 percent of their working time. "We work sitting on the computer, talking on the phone, and a meeting is a 'session'. These routines can and should be changed, "says Muth.

The Germans sit too much according to the DKV report. Image: Drobot Dean - fotolia

Viewed throughout the day, the typical desk worker, including his free time, sits for about eleven hours. The permanent sitting has far-reaching consequences for the fat and blood sugar metabolism and can make many people sick in the long run. The working people also imagine their daily work differently. "The desk workers prefer to sit less. This is a clear recognition of the DKV report, "notes Ingo Froböse, professor at the German Sport University and scientific director of the DKV report. On average, desk workers only want about half of their working time instead of almost three quarters. Why do not they get up? "For many, sitting is simply part of working life, it's routine and you hardly ever think about it," explains Froböse. This is also reflected in the figures: 73 percent sit down without thinking about it.

Getting up starts in the head
"Everyone can do something for their health by sitting less at the workplace," explains Froböse. And: "Getting up starts in the head." The simplest thing is to get up several times an hour, for example to make a phone call or to work in a raised place while standing.

"Standing still for a long time is not the answer," says Froböse. For one thing, desk workers only want about 17 percent of their working time. On the other hand, long static standing in one piece is not necessarily healthy and can, for example, lead to problems in the musculoskeletal system. Desk workers would like more exercise during work. Frobös proposal is: "Meetings of smaller working groups can take place well in walking. Whether you call this walk and talk meeting or walk is a matter of corporate culture. In addition, a new office organization can help to move more and get up more often. "

Movement is on the decline
The DKV Report examines not just sitting, but other aspects of lifestyle such as physical activity, nutrition, alcohol consumption, smoking and the subjective feeling of stress. The proportion of people who "live well all around" and score points in all five of these areas thus remains stable at a low level of eleven percent. The people in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern reach again the highest value of a total of 19 percent "all around healthy living" people.

The health behavior of Germans has changed in the past two years, especially in the area of ​​physical activity. In comparison to the last three DKV reports in 2010, 2012 and 2014, people move much less. This year, only 45 percent of people reach the minimum activity recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO) of 150 minutes of exercise per week. In the survey of 2014, there were still 54 percent. Above all, the activity during work decreases. "With the movement we have increasingly also a social problem", warns DKV boss Clemens Muth. "People with a lower level of education are mainly at work, and little in their free time.

In the digital world, however, it will be less and less a priority to do physical work. "In addition, the movement is considered to be particularly beneficial during leisure time. But among the people with a secondary school diploma, almost every second person declares that they are not physically active in their free time. "We also see this strong social gradient in overweight. Obesity is one of the strongest risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Enlightenment and recreational sports can help offset this gap, "says Muth. (Sb, pm)