ArticlePhysical therapy2021
The Meaning of Sedentary Behavior as Experienced by People in the Transition From Working Life to Retirement: An Empirical Phenomenological Study.
Article in Physical therapy, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- Interventions to reduce sedentary behaviour in community-dwelling older adults: a mixed-method review.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2025Pooled it
- From sedentary volume to sedentary content in older inpatients with type 2 diabetes: a multicenter study.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Development of an eHealth Intervention Including Self-Management for Reducing Sedentary Time in the Transition to Retirement: Participatory Design Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- Sedentary Behavior Affects the Ratings of Workplace Physical Activity Sessions.Journal of healthcare, science and the humanities · 2025Article
- Exploring the relationship between occupational stress, physical activity and sedentary behavior using the Job-Demand-Control Model.Frontiers in public health · 2024Observational
- Effects of Vitamin D Levels on Long-Term Coronary Events in Patients with Proven Coronary Artery Disease: Six-Year Follow-Up.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- The Quiet Epidemic: An Overview of Emerging Qualitative Research Trends on Sedentary Behavior in Aging Populations.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- How Have Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior, Changed during the COVID-19 Pandemic? A Swedish Repeated Cross-Sectional Design Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour with Retirement in Maltese Civil Servants: A Dialectical Mixed-Method Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- "It is Easy to do Nothing and Easy to Sit Down": Perceptions of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviors During Pre-retirement.Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society · 2022Article
- Changes in Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Swedish Population Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveSedentary behavior (SB) is defined as a mean of >6 hours of daytime sitting or lying down. SB has been shown to increase with older age and is a risk factor for disease. During the transition from working life to retirement, changes in daily life activities occur, risking increased SB. The aim of the present study was to gain a deeper understanding of SB in relation to the transition from working life to retirement as experienced by persons in retirement.
methodsThe study was grounded in a phenomenological life-world perspective. Fourteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants aged 64 to 75 years. Data were analyzed using the empirical phenomenological psychological method.
resultsThe participants described that voluntary sedentary time was positively related to general health and well-being, whereas involuntary sedentary time was negatively related to health. Increased sedentary time was described as natural when aging. Retirement was expressed as a time for rest after hard work and the ability to choose a slower pace in life. Internal and external demands and daily routines interrupted SB, whereas loneliness was perceived to increase SB. Participants strived to find a balance between physical activity and sedentary time. The variations in the participants' descriptions formed 3 typologies: in light of meaningful SB, in the shadow of involuntary SB, and a dual process-postponing SB with physical activity.
conclusionIncreased SB was perceived as natural when aging but something that may be postponed by conscious choices. SB was perceived as associated with health, rest, and recovery but also with the risk of deteriorating health. IMPACT: This knowledge of the experienced meaning of SB could guide the design of health promotion interventions and may be helpful in targeting those in need of support and individualizing interventions to decrease SB in retirement. LAY SUMMARY: This study reveals how persons in retirement describe sedentary behavior as something healthy but also as unhealthy and that sedentary behavior is natural in aging and can be postponed by physical activity.
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