Is being sedentary more dangerous than smoking?
Looking after your people by encouraging an active lifestyle
8 million… that’s how many people die prematurely each year because of smoking, around 15% of global deaths.1 Despite how big a number that is, this statistic might not shock you too much. We’re all familiar with the effects of smoking on health, and its prevalence worldwide.
But what if we told you that a sedentary – non-active – lifestyle could be more deadly than smoking?
In France, around 50,000 premature deaths a year can be attributed to having an inactive lifestyle,2 compared to 45,000 deaths being linked back to tobacco use.3 And this isn’t unique to France. Experts say that a sedentary lifestyle should be treated as a disease itself, and ‘sitting’ has been recognised as ‘the new smoking’ for years now.
But why does this matter for multinational employers?
According to a statistic from the American Heart Association in 2018, sedentary jobs – those that are largely desk-based – have increased 83% since 1950,4 and this is only likely to rise further.
Do multinationals have a responsibility for helping to keep their people active? If they want to maintain a happy and healthy workforce, then this is a very important topic...
Sedentary vs inactive
Before we look at the impacts of a sedentary lifestyle, let’s take a look at what being ‘sedentary’ really means.
Simply put, being ‘sedentary’ is when you are sitting or lying down for a long period of time, without movement. The Sedentary Behavior Research Network defines sedentary as any waking behaviour where you are expending 1.5 metabolic equivalents (MET) or less, while in a sitting or reclining posture.7 Generally speaking, 1 MET is the amount of energy used while sitting quietly, with an activity like reading using around 1.3 METs. Activities which are said to use between 1.6 and 3 METs, and would therefore not be considered sedentary behaviours, are walking at a leisurely pace, standing in the queue at a shop or standing while completing light work such as cooking or washing dishes, or playing instruments.8
If you’re consistently under the 1.5 MET mark throughout the day, you could be considered to have a sedentary lifestyle.
Although sedentary and physically inactive lifestyles might often be seen as the same, it’s important to make the distinction between the two.
Contrary to the definition of sedentary outlined above, ‘physical inactivity’ refers to anyone who doesn’t complete the recommended level of regular physical activity. This would apply to anyone who does less than 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity most days of the week (or 150 minutes per week).10
And actually, modern lifestyles lend themselves to being sedentary… the majority of people work in jobs that see them sitting at a desk all day. They might travel to and from work either sat in a car, or on the bus or train, and they often spend their evenings sat on the sofa watching TV or reading a book.
While this isn’t the case for everyone, every day, it’s far from uncommon.
And so, what are the implications for individuals, multinationals, and society, of this increasingly sedentary way of living?
In this Viewpoint we look at this in-depth and discuss how multinationals can help their people to move more and stay healthy.
The impacts on individual health and society as a whole
We know that a sedentary lifestyle can be harmful to our health and can lead to serious illness or even death. But why?
At our recent event in Paris, ‘Is a sedentary lifestyle as dangerous as smoking?’, Professor François Carré, Cardiologist from Rennes University Hospital and Professor of Cardiovascular Physiology at the University of Rennes, discussed the risks of a sedentary lifestyle on both individual health, and society.
Professor Carré said, “being sedentary increases the risk of all chronic conditions, particularly heart problems, stroke, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease, as well as cancer, with six hours of sitting doubling your risk of cancer when compared with three hours. Physical activity reduces the risk of a woman developing breast cancer by 20%, and reduces mortality rates for those with a breast cancer diagnosis by 35%, when combined with conventional cancer treatment. And with cancer and heart disease being the two leading causes of death in France alone, the need to address the ever-increasing sedentary lifestyle, and encourage physical activity, is clear.”11
And it’s not just physical health we need to worry about. An active lifestyle can also have benefits for mental health.
Professor François Carré told the multinational employers and other employee benefits professionals in attendance in Paris that, “regular physical activity can help to prevent and treat burnout and mild to moderate depression, with 75 minutes of moderate physical activity per week decreasing the risk of depression by 18%, and 150 minutes decreasing the risk by 25%.”10
And he’s not the only one who draws the link between physical activity and positive mental health. Mental health charity Mind says that physical activity can help with better sleep, improve mood as a result of the release of feel-good hormones, and the management of stress, anxiety and intrusive thoughts.12
And there’s the impact on society to consider too…
As Professor Carré puts it, “sedentary and physical inactivity is a social tsunami”. At our event, he focused on the impact of this “sitting epidemic” on global healthcare systems, outlining that (in France specifically), the ageing population, new diseases, and the progression of other infections result in 150k-200k additional patients per year, placing a heavy burden on healthcare systems. And globally the picture is worse, with 500 million more patients needing treatment each year.
"Sedentary and physical inactivity is a social tsunami."
If healthcare systems around the world are to cope with the evolving healthcare landscape, there’s a growing need to focus on prevention rather than cure, and the impact of a sedentary or inactive lifestyle is something that can be tackled head on. And this is important for employers too – not only will an active lifestyle improve the health, wellbeing and happiness of your valued employees, but it could help lower your medical costs too.
So, what kind of solutions are out there to help multinationals to get their people moving?
Case study - HUMANOO
At our event in Paris, we were also joined by HUMANOO,13,14 the creators of an employee wellbeing app which uses gamification, monetary and non-monetary rewards, incentives, and community challenges, to boost employee engagement and encourage physical activity. Apps like this could be the answer to helping employees create healthy habits that stick.
Speaking on the app's success, CEO Philip Pogoretschnik said, “Our app has risen in popularity around the world and is gaining great traction. In some countries, for example, Switzerland, we have had a huge uptake, with nearly 7% of the Swiss population using HUMANOO.
“And the success of the app doesn’t dwindle following implementation. Over 70% of users are still engaged with the app after 12 months of activity, and we have seen a reduction in sick days taken by employees, which is great for both the individual employees and multinational employers.”
So, are employee wellness apps like this – provided by employers – the way forward?
Sedentary lifestyles – where do employers come in?
With sedentary lifestyles becoming the norm for your people, what can you do to encourage small changes and help your people turn those sedentary days into active ones?
Look at your employee benefits (EB) offering.
As we’ve already mentioned, platforms and wellness apps like HUMANOO are specifically designed to get employees active, and to keep up those good habits long-term. And HUMANOO isn’t the only example – there are a number of apps such as Strava, Map My Run and Virgin Pulse that can be used to run corporate challenges and encourage your people to get moving. As we all know, the COVID-19 pandemic saw a surge in the uptake of home exercise and wellness apps, and it seems that digital wellness is here to stay. So why not look at the different options and see if a digital solution could be the answer for your employee population?
You could also run a staff survey to find out what your people really want and what types of activities suit their lifestyles, and offer this through your EB programme. Insurers will likely have partnerships with gym chains and a whole host of other options to keep your people healthy.
Take small steps (literally!).
As Professor François Carré said at our event in Paris, your people don’t need to be playing sport all day to be active. Small changes make a big difference. Professor Carré recommends walking briskly for ten minutes, three times a day, or making even simpler changes such as standing up for a minute every hour, placing bins on the other side of the room so people have to get up to use them, or always taking the stairs rather than lifts or escalators.
Exercise classes, running, cycling etc. can seem daunting to many people, so why not run an education campaign with your employees and start them off with some simple ideas like these?
Encourage standing or walking meetings.
And there are more changes that can be made during the working day to stay active. It might not always be possible, but you could encourage your people to take their meetings standing up or on the move where appropriate – getting out for a 30-minute walk rather than sitting at a desk on a video call, when you’re not presenting, could be great for both health and mood!
Standing desks are very popular these days and are easy to install in an office environment. Many hybrid workers now have them at home and we’re getting more used to seeing under-desk treadmills and pedal units being used too. Could you offer help your people to buy one, or do a deal for a discounted price?
Run a community challenge for your people.
There’s nothing like a bit of friendly competition to get people inspired, especially if there are prizes involved! You could organise a step challenge in your office – who can walk the most steps in a week or month? Challenges like this can appeal to employees’ competitive sides and increase motivation – and once they get into the habit, it’s more likely to stick even after the challenge it over.
Flexibility and communication are key.
We all know about the importance of flexibility in the new working world. With busy lives and other factors to consider, it might be that exercising before starting or after finishing work just doesn’t work for your people. Offering flexibility, where possible, within the working day could really encourage your people to get active. Perhaps allowing a slightly longer or later lunch to work out or attend specific exercise classes that are scheduled during the working day would help?
As ever, communication is key. Speak to your people and find out what works for them, and you might well see their motivation and fitness levels rise.
While there’s little that can be done about the sedentary nature of a lot of modern jobs and the need to be seated at a desk for large parts of the day, there are small changes that can be made to ensure this is less of a health concern for your people. Prioritising the health and wellbeing of valued employees and encouraging an active workforce can reduce the chances of your people developing chronic conditions, or seeing a decline in their mental health, and could increase their productivity. See what you can do to get your people moving – the business benefits could be great for you too!
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[1] Hannah Ritchie and Max Roser, Our World in Data https://ourworldindata.org/smoking (Sourced June 2023)
[2] 2022 Costing the economic burden of prolonged sedentary behaviours in France, European Journal of Public Health, Volume 32 https://academic.oup.com/eurpub/article/32/Supplement_1/i3/6676128?login=false (Sourced March 2023)
[3] National and regional prevalence of smoking in France in 2021 among 18-75 years old, Barometer of Public Health France (Sourced March 2023)
[4] Erin Donnelly Michos, M.D., M.H.S., John Hopkins Medicine https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/sitting-disease-how-a-sedentary-lifestyle-affects-heart-health (Sourced June 2023)
[5] Allene L. Gremaud, MS; Lucas J. Carr, PhD; Jacob E. Simmering, PhD; Nicholas J. Evans, BS; James F. Cremer, PhD; Alberto M. Segre, PhD; Linnea A. Polgreen, PhD; Philip M. Polgreen, MD, MPH, Gamifying Accelerometer Use Increases Physical Activity Levels of Sedentary Office Workers https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1161/JAHA.117.007735 (Sourced June 2023)
[6] Jerome Smail, Employee Benefits https://employeebenefits.co.uk/office-workers-sendentary-67-days/ (Sourced June 2023)
[7] Wendy Bumgardner, Very Well Fit https://www.verywellfit.com/what-is-physical-inactivity-3435077 (Sourced June 2023)
[8] Anon, Harvard School of Public Health https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/staying-active/#:~:text=MET%20stands%20for%20the%20metabolic,may%20use%208%2D9%20METs (Sourced June 2023)
[9] Anon, World Health Organization (The Global Health Observatory) https://www.who.int/data/gho/indicator-metadata-registry/imr-details/3416 (Sourced June 2023)
[10] Professor François Carré, Cardiologist from Rennes University Hospital and Professor of Cardiovascular Physiology at the University of Rennes, speaking at MAXIS GBN event on sedentary lifestyles in Paris, 6 June 2021.
[11] Anon, Mind https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/physical-activity-and-your-mental-health/about-physical-activity/ (Sourced June 2023)
[12] HUMANOO I eTherapists GmbH, C/o Techspace Lobeckstraße 36-40 10969 Berlin, Germany
[13] MAXIS GBN may receive fees, commissions and/or other remuneration from third parties in connection with the services we carry out for you.
This document has been prepared by MAXIS GBN and is for informational purposes only – it does not constitute advice. MAXIS GBN has made every effort to ensure that the information contained in this document has been obtained from reliable sources but cannot guarantee accuracy or completeness. The information contained in this document may be subject to change at any time without notice. Any reliance you place on this information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
The MAXIS Global Benefits Network (“Network”) is a network of locally licensed MAXIS member insurance companies (“Members”) founded by AXA France Vie, Paris, France (“AXA”) and Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, New York, NY (“MLIC”). MAXIS GBN, a Private Limited Company with a share capital of €4,650,000, registered with ORIAS under number 16000513, and with its registered office at 313, Terrasses de l’Arche – 92727 Nanterre Cedex, France, is an insurance and reinsurance intermediary that promotes the Network. MAXIS GBN is jointly owned by affiliates of AXA and MLIC and does not issue policies or provide insurance; such activities are carried out by the Members. MAXIS GBN operates in the UK through its UK establishment with its registered address at 1st Floor, The Monument Building, 11 Monument Street, London EC3R 8AF, Establishment Number BR018216 and in other European countries on a services basis. MAXIS GBN operates in the U.S. through MAXIS Insurance Brokerage Services, Inc., with its registered office located at c/o Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY, 10020-1605, a NY licensed insurance broker. MLIC is the only Member licensed to transact insurance business in NY. The other Members are not licensed or authorised to do business in NY and the policies and contracts they issue have not been approved by the NY Superintendent of Financial Services, are not protected by the NY state guaranty fund, and are not subject to all of the laws of NY. MAR01241/0723
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