Workplace wellness and health promotion

There has been a lot of interest in recent years in the health risks of prolonged sitting. But a study by IWH and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences suggests you might spare a thought for people in jobs that mostly involve standing (e.g. cooks, tellers, cashiers).

Published: November 2017

A headline today has proclaimed that standing at work is “as unhealthy as a cigarette a day," citing a new study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. Illustrated with a picture of a woman bent over her standing desk clutching at her back, we’re instructed to “sit back down." But a closer look at the research in question reveals very little to do with standing desks. In fact, the study did not look at standing desks at all, writes Suzi Gage.

Published: The Guardian, September 2017

Workers who predominantly stand on the job are at greater risk of heart disease than workers who predominantly sit. Workplace prevention efforts should target excessive standing, as well as excessive sitting, to protect the cardiovascular health of workers.

Published: September 2017

Odds are, you already know about the scary things that sitting can do to your health. But we have some bad news: Your standing desk may be doing more harm than good, too, writes Brooke Nelson.

Published: Reader's Digest, September 2017

People who primarily stand on the job are twice as likely to develop heart disease as people who primarily sit. This was the case even after taking into account a wide range of factors, including personal factors, health and the type of work being performed, writes Dr. Peter Smith in The Conversation.

Published: The Conversation, September 2017

On the circle of health hype, what was bad becomes good, then it becomes overrated, then it becomes bad again. That’s what happened to barefoot running and multivitamins, and it’s where the purported dangers of “too much sitting” seem to be headed. But the truth is probably somewhere in the middle rather than on the peaks or in the valleys. With that in mind, it’s worth looking at an interesting study just published in the American Journal of Epidemiology that finds jobs that require a lot of standing to be much worse for your health than jobs that require mostly sitting, writes Alex Hutchinson.

Published: Runner's World, August 2017

People who stand for long periods at work may have another reason to join their seated colleagues in moving more. "There's a good body of research evidence that shows standing a lot is actually bad for your health," said Peter Smith, a senior scientist at the Institute for Work & Health.

Published: CBC, August 2017

Canada was one of four countries taking part in a multi-national study exploring policy approaches to extending the working lives of older people in a manner that is both effective and fair for all workers. IWH led the Canadian portion.

Status: Completed 2019

It's long been known that extreme temperatures can pose health hazards, from heat stress disorders to hypothermia and frost-bite. An IWH study found that a strong relationship exists between outdoor temperature and illness among the working population. And, as this study shows, it's not just in extreme temperatures that workers are at risk.

Published: March 2015

Status: Completed 2017