Stand Up University of Queensland ('Stand Up UQ'): Reducing sitting time in office workers

Reducing sitting time in office workers: comparison of a multifaceted workplace approach vs. installation of height-adjustable desks only using a three-armed controlled trial

Status

Terminated

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ANZCTR

Registry ID

ACTRN12612001246875

Enrollment

Registered

2012-11-26

Start date

2012-01-30

Completion date

2012-06-30

Last updated

2020-01-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

None listed

Brief summary

Research over the last decade has shown that less sitting throughout the day is associated with a decreased risk of many chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers. While at work, office workers report high levels of sitting time, mostly due to the nature of their computer and desk based jobs. Height-adjustable workstations may provide a means of reducing sitting time at work. However, the most effective way to introduce such workstations to organisations is yet to be established. That is, whether the installation of height-adjustable workstations alone is sufficient to reduce sitting time in office workers, or whether additional aspects of the workplace (including indiviudual staff and managers, organisational social norms etc) need to be targeted as well. The objective of the Stand Up UQ study was thus to evaluate (in a three-arm study) whether a multifaceted intervention involving height-adjustable desks and organisational and individual behavioral change elements leads to greater reductions in objectively measured workplace sitting when compared to the use of height-adjustable workstations alone (and in comparison to a control group).

Interventions

Arm 1: 'High-intensity intervention group', receiving a height-adjustable workstations for 12 months, as well as individual behaviour change coaching during the first 3 months of teh height-adjustable workstation being installed (1x30min face-to-face session delivered once by the project coordinator; 3x10min support phone calls conducted by the project coordinator; written educational self-monitoring materials), and organisational behaviour change intervention elements (1x30min management consultation conducted by the research coordinator; 1x30min staff education session delivered by the research coordinator; and, 3 manager emails provided in template form by the research coordinator and tailored by the manager to the staff team). Arm 2: ‘Minimal treatment’ intervention group, receiving height-adjustable workstations only for 12 months

Study design

Allocation

Non-randomised trial

Intervention model

Parallel

Primary purpose

Treatment

Masking

Open (masking not used)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to 65 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

Participants are eligible if they speak English, work at least 0.6 FTE in a job primarily involving computer/admin work, and have designated access to the internet and a desk within the workplace.

Exclusion criteria

Participants are excluded if they a) are pregnant b) are non-ambulatory c) have allergies to medical adhesive (used to attach the activPAL monitor) d) currently have any physical or health problems (incl. shoulder/back/neck pain or strain) that may limit their ability to regularly stand up or to stand up for at least 10 minutes at a time e) plan absence from work for >2wks or plan relocation to another worksite during the 12 months-intervention period.

Outcome results