India, June 26 -- Hourly movement breaks of just 5 minutes each seem to offer the best balance between feasibility and effectiveness for mitigating the health harms of prolonged sitting, suggests a large study carried out under real world conditions and published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

These brief interludes boost mood, lessen fatigue, and don't undermine work performance, the findings indicate, prompting the researchers to suggest this approach offers potential for a public health strategy and inclusion in physical activity guidelines.

On average, adults in high-income countries are sedentary for 11-12 hours during the day-a level of inactivity that has emerged as a significant public health concern, associat...