University study shows Hong Kong’s retirees are living the active life, sitting down half as much as students and office workers
Poll by HKU’s Sau Po Centre on Ageing reveals those who are employed can sit for up to 17 hours a day, leading to spinal injuries
Elderly retirees are the most mobile group among Hongkongers as they spend the least amount of time sitting in a day, according to results of a new survey.
The findings were released by the University of Hong Kong’s Sau Po Centre on Ageing at a press conference Sunday.
Results indicate that retirees spend an average of 400 minutes daily – or 6.7 hours – on chairs and sofas. On the other hand, students and those who are employed spend double that amount of sedentary time daily – up to 780 minutes or 13 hours.
“Elderly people don’t mind going out and making multiple trips a day, whereas those who are employed have to spend a lot of time sitting down because they may be restricted by their job duties,” centre director Vivian Lou Weiqun said.
A total of 613 people were polled in a survey last November to study the different sitting habits of four groups of people in society: students, retirees, the self-employed, and employed workers.
They were asked how much time they spent sitting according to six different categories, which included watching television, using mobile devices, eating meals, travelling, working and social activities.