How can we encourage and support a young adult student population to replace some of their sitting time with physical activity (standing and moving) to help reduce health risks linked with too much sitting?
Generally, technological advances and community design support a sedentary lifestyle. In addition, sitting increases and moving decreases with age. On average, Canadian adults sit most of their waking hours - 9.6 hours per day. Too much sitting is linked with poor physical health (such as type 2 diabetes) and poor mental well-being (such as depression). Currently, our project focuses on raising awareness, supporting behavior change, and advocating for supportive environments and policies with a target population of adults who are aged 45+. We are now looking to explore how we might adapt our current initiatives to suit a younger demographic of young adults and students.
Goal: The students will work in groups to review the literature on sitting and health outcomes, collect data on their own sitting patterns and propose an awareness raising strategy aimed at encouraging young adult student population to sit less, stand, and move more.
City Staff: Linda Godin - Physical Activity Specialist
Faculty: Katie Moisse, McMaster University
Course: LIFESCI 2AA3
Project Location: City-Wide
Strategic Priorities: Health and Safety Communities, Our People and Performance, Community Engagement and Participation.