None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Sedentary behaviour (SB) is a public health concern especially in Saudi Arabia where more than 87% of the population are sedentary. Given the limited knowledge about SB among male office workers in tertiary education institutes in Saudi Arabia, and the lack of theory-based health promotion interventions to decrease SB in Saudi Arabia, an exploratory study to assess the needs for an intervention to address SB in university office workers in Saudi Arabia was conducted. The results from this study indicated the need for implementation of a feasible and cost-effective theory-based intervention to address SB among male staff at Saudi universities. The aim of this research project is to develop and implement a feasible and cost-effective theory-based intervention to decrease SB among male office workers at a public university in Saudi Arabia. The Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) guided the development of this intervention. This research will propose the first cost-effective and theory-based health promotion intervention to decrease SB tailored to university office workers in Saudi Arabia.
Interventions
An information/orientation session will be held at week zero in a place that is most convenient for participants on the University campus. In this session, the principal researcher will welcome participants to the program and explain the study objectives, benefits and risks in details. Then, he will take baseline anthropometric measurements (weight and height) and waist circumference using standardised methods. Also, participants will be asked to complete a survey of 25 questions about their sit
An information/orientation session will be held at week zero in a place that is most convenient for participants on the University campus. In this session, the principal researcher will welcome participants to the program and explain the study objectives, benefits and risks in details. Then, he will take baseline anthropometric measurements (weight and height) and waist circumference using standardised methods. Also, participants will be asked to complete a survey of 25 questions about their sitting and standing behaviours at work and to assess demographic characteristics. At the appointment, participants will be given accelerometers, elastic belts, wearing instructions and log-sheets. The principal researcher will show participants how to wear the accelerometer and how to complete the log sheet provided. Participants will be asked to wear the accelerometer on the hip during waking hours for five consecutive days. Additionally, they will be asked to record their sleeping and non-wear time (whenever they are in water) during these five days in the log-sheet provided. During this week, participants will receive daily text-message reminders to wear the accelerometer. Six days later, there will be another appointment with participants, where they will return the accelerometers and the log sheets. Then the principal researcher will ask participants about their physical activity and sleeping patterns during the previous week. In this appointment, the reminder software will be installed on the intervention group participants' office computers and a log-sheet to track their breaks will be provided. The principal researcher will explain how they can adjust the timing of reminders based on their own preference and how to record their breaks in the log sheet provided. This log-sheet will be collected from each participant at the end of each week during the program. The intervention will run for 12 weeks and does NOT include any sport or fitness training. The program includes: 1. Installing a reminder software on participants’ office computer. This software will remind them to break up the time they spend sitting at work. Reminder to break should occur every 30 minutes to one hour based on participant preference. 2. Receiving weekly text-message support. These text-messages will be provided with ideas and techniques that will help participants to break up the time they spend sitting and engaging in more healthy habits. 3- A log-sheet to record and track their active breaks. After the 12-week program, participants will again meet with the principal researcher. Similar to the first appointment at week zero, the principal researcher will take participants’ anthropometric measurements weight and waist circumference using standardised methods. Also, participants will be asked to complete a survey of 25 questions about their sitting and standing behaviours at work. Participants will be given accelerometers, elastic belts, wearing instructions and log-sheets. Participants will be asked to wear the accelerometer on the hip during waking hours for five consecutive days. Additionally, they will be asked to record their sleeping and non-wear time (whenever they are in water) during these five days in the log-sheet provided. Six days later, participants will have another appointment with the principal researcher. They will be asked about their physical activity and sleeping patterns during the previous week with additional process evaluation items to evaluate their program satisfaction. The appointment will be held in a place convenient for participants on the Univesity campus. Gift vouchers will be given to participants as an appreciation for participating in the data collection at this session as well.
Sponsors
Baraa Sami Quronfulah
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Other
Primary purpose
Educational / counselling / training
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
Male
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: Apparently healthy, adult, male academics and/or professional staff from two nominated faculties at a public university in Saudi Arabia and who own and use a mobile phone. A “good health status” will be determined using the revised physical activity readiness questionnaire (PAR-Q) (Thomas, Reading & Shephard, 1992) by phone. PAR-Q is considered the standard physical activity screening tool for eligibility. The recommended protocol in the PAR-Q+ will be followed. Eligible participant should answers “no” to all questions in the page 1 from the PAR-Q+. If someone answers “yes” to a question in the page 1, he will be asked the questions on pages 2 and 3. If he answers yes to a question on page 2 or 3, he will be asked to complete the specially designed online screening and exercise recommendations program - the ePARmed-X+ at www.eparmedx.com. This will inform if the participants can still participate or he should visit a qualified exercise professional or his family physician to get a clearance to participate. In this case, the researcher will ask the participant to provide the clearance in order to participate in the study.
Exclusion criteria
Female staff; male staff who have a medical condition that prevents them from standing, walking or performing light intensity physical activity.
Outcome results
None listed