None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Sitting for long periods is associated with increased mortality and morbidity from cardio-metabolic diseases. The results of intervention studies indicate that this association is likely mediated through the effects prolonged sitting have on postprandial glucose and insulin concentrations. Particularly in healthy people, regularly interrupting periods of sitting with short bouts of physical activity in a highly controlled laboratory environment has been shown to improve postprandial glucose and insulin responses to a greater degree than either short periods, or continuous bouts of standing. However, it is not known if performing regular activity breaks (hence forth referred to as opportunities to move) outside a laboratory environment would have the same effects. Importantly, to successfully motivate adherence to this pattern of behaviour the intervention needs to incorporate strategies that support self-regulation of behaviour, provide external support and overcome work productivity and workplace culture barriers. The Move More @ Work study investigates the feasibility of an intervention designed to encourage staff to take 1 – 2 minute opportunities to move after every 30 min of continuous sitting over the work day. It will also examine adherence to the intervention and the extent to which this pattern of behaviour can improve indicators of cardio-metabolic health.
Interventions
The aim of this intervention is for participants to perform 1-2 min of activity after every 30 min of continuous sitting throughout their work day. Once both pre-intervention assessments have taken place, all participants will have an individual consultation with a Move More @ Work Coach (a postgraduate student trained in physical activity related behaviour change techniques) lasting around 30 min. This consultation will mark the start of the intervention period. During this consultation, the c
The aim of this intervention is for participants to perform 1-2 min of activity after every 30 min of continuous sitting throughout their work day. Once both pre-intervention assessments have taken place, all participants will have an individual consultation with a Move More @ Work Coach (a postgraduate student trained in physical activity related behaviour change techniques) lasting around 30 min. This consultation will mark the start of the intervention period. During this consultation, the coach will: 1. Briefly, discuss current evidence around sitting as a health hazard, and the health benefits associated with performing regular short bouts of movement throughout the day. 2. Discuss, and demonstrate where necessary, examples of activities that meet the intensity and duration required of an opportunity to move. These activities will also be detailed in the participant booklet that accompanies the study. Links will also be provided to videos showing the specific movements being undertaken. 3. Discuss their individual profile of the time they spent sitting and being active at work (collected from the accelerometers) during the pre-intervention assessments. The coach will highlight the discrepancies between current sedentary time and the expected behaviour if participants take an opportunity to move every 30 min. 4. Develop an individualised action and contingency plan (Bélanger-Gravel A, Godin G, Amireault S. A meta-analytic review of the effect of implementation intentions on physical activity. Health Psychology Review 2013;71:23-54). The action plan involves participants specifying exactly what activities they will perform (and would easily fit into their work context), when they will do them (e.g., may have different activities at different times of the day), and where (e.g. in the office, on the stairs). The barrier contingency plan involves participants identifying potential barriers that they may face when implementing this plan and putting strategies in place to overcome those barriers (Bélanger-Gravel A, Godin G, Amireault S. A meta-analytic review of the effect of implementation intentions on physical activity. Health Psychology Review 2013;71:23-54). 5. Provide participants with a laminated chart to record that the opportunity to move specified in their action plan was performed. This will also provide the prompt for participants to self-reflect on how they are feeling both physically and mentally at the end of each day. Participants will be asked to report the number of opportunities to move recorded on this chart back to the research team on a weekly basis by responding to the weekly study email. 6. Discuss which external electronic prompt the participant would like to use as a reminder to take their opportunities to move (an outlook calendar reminder -available on a PC or Mac, or the computer announcing the time every 30 min –Mac only). The coach will then help the participant set these prompts up on their computer. A personalized booklet outlining these discussion points will be provided to each participant in hard copy (designed specifically for this study). Participants will also receive a laminated card on which to record their weekly action and contingency plan. Participants will be encouraged to place their action and contingency card within eyesight of their workstation to assist with self-monitoring. At the beginning of each week of the intervention period, participants will receive an email reminding them to set weekly action and barrier plans. Participants will be asked to email a photo of this plan at the beginning of the week (to indicate they have completed their plan) to the research team.
Sponsors
Department of Human Nutrition, University of Otago
Study design
Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Intervention model
Other
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
To be eligible for inclusion, participants must be employees of the University of Otago and based at the Dunedin campus, older than 18 years, self-report spending >5 h per day, on at least three days of the week in a seated position at work, and not be using a sit-to-stand desk.
Exclusion criteria
Because this study requires participants to undertake short bouts of physical activity, participants will be excluded from participating if they have any physical or physiological impediments to participating in physical activity (all participants will be screened for contra-indications using the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire prior to starting the study). To ensure participants are at work during the majority of the intervention period participants will be excluded from participating if • they have a planned absence from work for >2 weeks during the study, • they plan to relocate to another workplace other than the University of Otago, Dunedin campus during the 6 month study period (intervention and follow-up). Participants will also be excluded from participation if they are pregnant as pregnancy will effect waist circumference, which is a component of the cardio-metabolic risk score.
Outcome results
None listed