ArticleBMC public health2021
Workplace sitting is associated with self-reported general health and back/neck pain: a cross-sectional analysis in 44,978 employees.
Article in BMC public health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 45 citations in OpenAlex.
- The associations between sedentary behavior and neck pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC public health · 2025Pooled it
- Musculoskeletal injury epidemiology in law enforcement and firefighter recruits during physical training: a systematic review.BMJ open sport & exercise medicine · 2022Pooled it
- The effectiveness of a dynamic seat cushion in preventing neck and low-back pain among high-risk office workers: a 6-month cluster-randomized controlled trial.Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health · 2024Trial
- Promoting physical activity-related health competence to increase leisure-time physical activity and health-related quality of life in German private sector office workers.BMC public health · 2023Trial
- Exercise Participation and Clinical Characteristics of Desk-Based Workers with Chronic Non-Specific Neck Pain Exposed to Increased Ergonomic Risk: A Cross-Sectional Study.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Article
- Individual and combined associations of modifiable metabolic health and lifestyle with low back pain, neck pain, and functional limitation: evidence from a nationally cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Article
- The Effect of Tissue Stretching and Release Strategies on Neck Muscles Fatigue and Pain Intensity in Office Workers Affected by Chronic Neck Pain: A Rater-Blind, Semi-Experimental Study.Health science reports · 2025Article
- The association of different types of stress, and stress accumulation with low back pain in call-center workers - a cross-sectional observational study.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2024Observational
- Associations between domains of sedentary behavior, well-being, and quality of life - a cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Joint associations of leisure-time physical activity and sitting time with emotional wellbeing, physical functioning and work ability: an occupational study among young and early midlife Finnish municipal employees.Journal of activity, sedentary and sleep behaviors · 2023Article
- Alterations in Cervical Nerve Root Function during Different Sitting Positions in Adults with and without Forward Head Posture: A Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- The Importance of Research on Occupational Sedentary Behaviour and Activity Right Now.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- How supportive are workplace environments for sitting less and moving more? A descriptive study of Australian workplaces participating in the BeUpstanding program.Preventive medicine reports · 2021Article
- Factors associated with neck and shoulder pain: a cross-sectional study among 16,000 adults in five county councils in Sweden.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2021Article
- The association of reactive balance control and spinal curvature under lumbar muscle fatigue.PeerJ · 2021Article
- Impact of active breaks on sedentary behavior and perception of productivity in office workers.Revista brasileira de medicina do trabalho : publicacao oficial da Associacao Nacional de Medicina do Trabalho-ANAMTArticle
- Physical Activity Patterns, Satisfaction, and Quality of Life Among Nursing and non-Nursing Staff in an Office-Based Care Coordination Program.SAGE open nursingArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundTotal sitting time is associated with a higher risk for cardio metabolic disease and mortality, while breaks in prolonged sitting attenuate these effects. However, less is known about associations of different specific domains and breaks of sitting on general health, back/neck pain and if physical activity could influence these associations. The aim was to investigate how workplace sitting and frequency of breaking up workplace sitting is associated with self-reported general health and self-reported back/neck pain.
methods44,978 participants (42% women) from the Swedish working population, who participated in a nationwide occupational health service screening 2014-2019, were included in this cross-sectional study. Self-reported sitting duration and frequency of breaks from sitting at work, general health, back/neck pain, exercise, leisure time sitting, diet, smoking, stress and body mass index were assessed. Occupation was classified as requiring higher education qualifications or not. Logistic regression modelling was used to assess the association between workplace sitting/frequency of breaks in workplace sitting and poor general health and back/neck pain, respectively.
resultsCompared to sitting all the time at work, sitting ≤75% of the time showed significantly lower risks for poor general health (OR range 0.50-0.65), and sitting between 25 and 75% of the time showed significantly lower risks (OR 0.82-0.87) for often reported back/neck pain. For participants reporting sitting half of their working time or more, breaking up workplace sitting occasionally or more often showed significantly lower OR than seldom breaking up workplace sitting; OR ranged 0.40-0.50 for poor health and 0.74-0.81 for back/neck pain.
conclusionsSitting almost all the time at work and not taking breaks is associated with an increased risk for self-reported poor general health and back/neck pain. People sitting almost all their time at work are recommended to take breaks from prolonged sitting, exercise regularly and decrease their leisure time sitting to reduce the risk for poor health.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.