More Europeans are sitting for long stretches of time

Sedentary behavior is on the rise among Europeans, according to new research. Researchers surveyed over 96,000 Europeans four times between 2002-2017 and found that the proportion of those who were inactive for 4.5 hours or more a day increased from 49% in 2002 to nearly 55% by the end of the study duration. The increase in sedentary behavior over the study's 15-year period varied across the continent, from around 4% in Spain to nearly 23% among those in the U.K. The authors of the study write that an increase in the use of technology may be to blame for these findings, and cautioned that this may in turn lead to more cases of heart disease. They also hope to incorporate smartphone data in future studies for more accurate results.