None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Few studies have compared sitting on a standard ergonomic chair with working on a sit-stand desk in terms of health benefits. In terms of broader cardio-metabolic benefits of alternative office working modes, research on standing is particularly scarce and the very few studies that examined how cardiometabolic blood biomarkers respond to replacements of sitting were done in laboratory conditions that are not necessarily translatable in real-life office environments. Very little evidence exists on how changes in work time sitting influences fatigue, and mood, or after work hours physical activity and sedentary behavior. The objectives of this pilot intervention are to examine: The acceptability of and adherence to different sitting-standing protocols to participants b) The impact of the different sitting-standing protocols on participants’ outcome measures (see below) c) The acceptability of and adherence to data collection procedures such as taking blood samples and wearing an inclinometer for 7days (24hrs a day), and a kinematic sensor for 2 days. This pilot study will provide valuable information on planning for a larger randomised controlled trial which will examine the effects of different sitting-standing modes on the health of office workers.
Interventions
We will seek volunteers from an office environment. Participants will be randomly allocated into one of four interventions arms for a period of 5 weeks.
The intervention groups will allocate the time spent either sitting or standing every hour they are at work.
Arm 1 - 60 minutes sitting
Arm 2 - 40 minutes sitting, 20 minutes standing
Arm 3 - 30 minutes sitting, 30 minutes standing
Arm 4 - 20 minutes sitting, 40 minutes standing
Each participant in Arms 2-4 will be provided with an adjustable
We will seek volunteers from an office environment. Participants will be randomly allocated into one of four interventions arms for a period of 5 weeks. The intervention groups will allocate the time spent either sitting or standing every hour they are at work. Arm 1 - 60 minutes sitting Arm 2 - 40 minutes sitting, 20 minutes standing Arm 3 - 30 minutes sitting, 30 minutes standing Arm 4 - 20 minutes sitting, 40 minutes standing Each participant in Arms 2-4 will be provided with an adjustable sit-stand workstation (Model- Ergotron Workfit S or A; or equivalent) which will be retrofitted to their existing computer workstation or desk and personalised to each participant’s preferred sitting position and standing height. Instructions will be provided on how to adjust the sit-stand workstation between sitting and standing. Participants will receive a computer app reminder to change posture according to the postural variation group they are allocated to. Adherence to the protocols will be assisted through the use of an App installed on participants computers. They will also receive visits from the research team and emails to remind them to follow their allocated protocol.
Sponsors
Associate Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Investigator)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
20 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
staff members must be aged over 20 years; employed at least on a 0.70FTE basis; have a primarily desk-based role; not have diabetes or other physical (acute or chronic) limitations that may prevent them from be able to complete the study protocol; be free of neurological or musculoskeletal condition which would be exacerbated by working standing-up; are not pregnant; have no planned leave during the study period and are fluent in English.
Exclusion criteria
Workers would be excluded if they are aged under 20 years; employed less than 0.70FTE ; have diabetes or other physical (acute or chronic) limitations that may prevent them from be able to complete the study protocol; neurological or musculoskeletal condition which would be exacerbated by working standing-up; are pregnant; have planned leave during the study period and are not fluent in English.
Outcome results
None listed