The article says nothing about sitting crosslegged. The article is about squatting. And it doesn't say the problem affects westerners. Westerners don't spend excessive time squatting. It says populations that spend time squatting have higher incidence of knee and osteoarthritis. The conclusion from this is that while squatting is worse than sitting, it doesn't make sitting healthy either.

[–] FarraigePlaisteach@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

I’m aware that the article isn’t about sitting cross legged. I mention it because it’s analogous, even if the muscle groups are different. But I did miss the detail about the population they were writing about.