Report Links Rising Obesity Rates With 9-To-5 Routine

Montreal, Quebec, Canada (AHN) – A new study by University of Montreal researchers links 9-to-5 office jobs with the rising rates of obesity in Canada.

The researchers, led by Carl-Etienne Juneau, found out that obesity rates went up 10 percent from 1978 to 2004. During the same period the number of Canadians tied to desk jobs also grew. The rise in obesity and number of office workers was based on data from Statistics Canada, which had 132,000 respondents.

The researchers were initially puzzled by the rise in weight problems despite better eating habits and more exercise by Canadians compared to the 1970s.

Despite the increase in physical activities such as walking or biking to work and improvement in quality of food intake, one in three adult Canadians are overweight or obese. It places them at higher risk for cardio ailments, diabetes and breast cancer.

Because of long stretches of office work while seated or with minimal movements, Juneau said engaging in 30 minutes of exercise daily may no longer be sufficient for the average person to keep trim and fit. To battle obesity, Juneau suggested that office workers perform break time physical activities such as walking or taking the stairs.

The finding, published in the current issue of “Preventive Medicine,” came out a few weeks after another study by the University of Montreal and the Sainte-Justine Hospital Research Center linked excessive use of computer, video games and television among teenagers to obesity.

The study, which involved 744 teenagers from 10 Montreal high schools, identified youths whose screen use goes up through high school at the greater risk of acquiring more body fat. Tracie Barnett, lead author of the study, attributed the higher body fat to reduction of the youth’s involvement in more active pursuits.

The second study was published in the “American Journal of Epidemiology.”

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