title: Workplace standing time and the incidence of obesity and type 2 diabetes: a longitudinal study in adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It is increasingly recognized that standing represents a simple solution to extended periods of sitting. However, it is currently unknown whether workplace standing time is prospectively associated with a lower incidence of chronic diseases. The objective of this study was to examine the association between workplace standing time and the incidence of overweight/obesity (OW/OB) and impaired glucose tolerance/type 2 diabetes (IGT/T2D) in adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  A longitudinal analysis from the Quebec Family Study (Canada) was conducted on 293 participants, aged 18 to 65 years, followed for a mean of 6 years. Information on self-reported occupational standing time as well as several covariates was collected at both baseline and follow-up. Outcome measures included the development of OW/OB (i.e. body mass index ≥25 kg/m(2)) and IGT/T2D (i.e. 2-h postload plasma glucose level ≥7.8 mmol/L).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence rates of OW/OB and IGT/T2D over the 6-year follow-up period were 17.4% and 12.6%, respectively. Significant negative associations were observed between the amount of occupational standing time and the development of outcome measures. However, the associations were no longer significant after adjustment for age, sex, smoking habits, total annual family income, daily caloric intake, and submaximal working capacity. In age- and sex-adjusted logistic regression analysis, significant negative linear trends were observed across levels of standing time and the outcome variables. However, the associations were no longer significant after further adjustment for the other covariates. Finally, we observed that the change in standing time from baseline to year 6 was significantly associated with the development of outcome measures, with higher incidence rates in adults reporting a reduction in standing time at follow-up. However, the associations became non-significant after adjustment for covariates.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Greater occupational standing time is not sufficient in and of itself to prevent the development of OW/OB and IGT/T2D in adults. Future efforts are needed to better understand the potential benefits of higher amounts of standing time throughout the day on the prevention of chronic diseases.
authors.affiliation: Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, 401 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L1, Canada. jpchaput@cheo.on.ca.
authors.forename: Jean-Philippe
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Chaput
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Human Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Prince Edward Island, 550 University Ave, Charlottetown, PE, C1A 4P3, Canada. saunders.travis@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Travis J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Saunders
authors.affiliation: Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, 401 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L1, Canada. mtremblay@cheo.on.ca.
authors.forename: Mark S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Tremblay
authors.affiliation: Physical Activity and Obesity Epidemiology Laboratory, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, 6400 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge, LA, 70808-4124, USA. Peter.Katzmarzyk@pbrc.edu.
authors.forename: Peter T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Katzmarzyk
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, Faculty of Medicine, 2300 de la Terrasse, Laval University, Quebec City, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada. angelo.tremblay@kin.ulaval.ca.
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tremblay
authors.affiliation: Human Genomics Laboratory, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, 6400 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge, LA, 70808-4124, USA. Claude.Bouchard@pbrc.edu.
authors.forename: Claude
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bouchard
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002170:Canada; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D018149:Glucose Intolerance / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology; D011792:Quebec; D017132:Workplace