Study: IT Staff Lead Sedentary Lifestyles

Posted 11/18/2009 at 5:03am | by Paul Lilly

2

Comments

Print

According a new study, UK's IT workers rank as the least active professionals with the unhealthiest diets. The study, which was commissioned by weight loss and personal training agency Fat Free Fitness, pinged more than 1,700 professionals running the gamut from Taxi drivers and shop attendants, to marketing gurus and customer service reps.

It shouldn't come as any surprise that those paid to sit in front of a PC all day tend to lead sedentary lifestyles (Maximum PC notwithstanding), but what's a little shocking is that only 19 percent of those surveyed met the government's activity guidelines recommending 30 minutes of moderate exercise five times a week. That puts IT workers in last place by a wide margin. Receptionists ranked as the second unhealthiest bunch, with 26 percent meeting the government's guidelines.

Just 14 percent said they ate five portions of fruit and vegetables every day, but even more startling, the study found that the average IT worker consumes the caffeine equivalent of 10 cups of coffee every day.