A PILOT STUDY OF SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF NON-SEDENTARY BEHAVIOUR ON MOOD CHANGES

Sedentary behaviour is considered to be a major factor impacting a number of health outcomes while use of technology in the workplace is increasingly contributing to the amount of sedentary time. Even if guidelines on the amount of physical activity are followed outside of workplace, sedentary work style still has a deleterious impact on health. There have been a number of studies that investigated the impact of sedentary behaviour on general health while no study has reported investigation of effects of sedentary behaviour on mood changes. The aim of this pilot study, which included 14 knowledge workers, was to objectively measure sedentary time using accelerometers and investigate correlation with the self-reported mood changes in short term. The results show that sedentary behaviour has negative effects on the mood even over a short period of one day. Although a pilot study, this is the first study to examine short term psychological implications of sedentary behaviour. Randomised controlled experiments are needed to further clarify these findings.