Increasing Sit-to-Stand Transitions Lowers BP in Postmenopausal Women

FRIDAY, Aug. 8, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Changing sedentary behaviors is feasible for postmenopausal women with overweight and obesity, and increasing sit-to-stand transitions (STSTs) is associated with reduced blood pressure, according to a study published online July 25 in Circulation.

Sheri J. Hartman, Ph.D., from the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at the University of California San Diego, and colleagues compared the behavioral and physiological impacts of two approaches to changing sedentary behaviors in a study involving 407 sedentary postmenopausal women with overweight or obesity. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions for three months: healthy living (control), reduce sitting time (sit less), and increase STSTs (sit-to-stand). Across 12 weeks, each study arm received seven individual health coach sessions.

The researchers found that the sit-less arm reduced total sitting time by 58 minutes per day more than the control arm, but they had no change in STSTs. The sit-to-stand arm did not have a change in sitting time, but significantly increased STSTs by 26 STSTs per day more than the control arm. Compared with the control arm, the sit-to-stand arm had a significant decrease in diastolic blood pressure (−2.24 mm Hg) and similar decreases in systolic blood pressure (−3.33 mm Hg), although these findings did not meet the a priori significance threshold of P < 0.025.

“With a little coaching, we can teach ourselves to sit less and it makes a tangible difference to our short-and long-term health,” coauthor Andrea Z. LaCroix, Ph.D., also from the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, said in a statement. “Adapting real-world interventions that are easy, realistic and aligned with our personal goals — such as stand up from sitting 25 extra times per day, like two times per hour over 12 hours — may be doable for so many of us.”

Abstract/Full Text