Sit-Stand Desks To Reduce Workplace Sitting Time In Office Workers With Abdominal Obesity: A Randomized Controlled Trial

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 710-715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brittany T. MacEwen ◽  
Travis J. Saunders ◽  
Dany J. MacDonald ◽  
Jamie F. Burr

Background:Sit-stand desks reduce workplace sitting time among healthy office workers; however, their metabolic and behavioral impact in higher risk populations remains unknown.Methods:25 office workers with abdominal obesity were randomized to an intervention (sit-stand workstation) or control group (seated desk) for 12 weeks. Physical activity, sedentary behavior, and cardiometabolic risk factors were assessed before and after the intervention period in both groups.Results:In comparison with the control group, which did not change, the intervention group experienced significant reductions in workday (344 ± 107 to 186 ± 101 min/day) and total (645 ± 140 to 528 ± 91 min/day) sitting time, as well as increases in workday standing time (154 ± 108 to 301 ± 101 min/day, P < .05). There were no changes in sitting or standing time outside of work hours, steps taken each day, or any marker of cardiometabolic risk in either group (all P > .05).Conclusion:Sit-stand desks were effective in reducing workplace sedentary behavior in an at-risk population, with no change in sedentary behavior or physical activity outside of work hours. However, these changes were not sufficient to improve markers of cardiometabolic risk in this population.

Author(s):  
Beatriz Rodríguez-Roca ◽  
Fernando Urcola-Pardo ◽  
Ana Anguas-Gracia ◽  
Ana Belén Subirón-Valera ◽  
Ángel Gasch-Gallén ◽  
...  

Background: Sitting time has negative effects on health, increasing the risk of obesity, osteoporosis, diabetes, and cancer. Thus, primary health care education interventions aimed to reduce sitting time and sedentary behavior could have beneficial effects on people’s health and wellbeing. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of an intervention based on reducing sitting time to decrease cardiometabolic risk on a sample of women diagnosed with fibromyalgia and moderate obesity. Methods: Randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention to decrease cardiometabolic risk in 84 participants. Sedentary behavior was monitored using an accelerometer before and at 3-month follow-up. Results: Compared with the control group, body mass index decreased, and the number of steps taken increased, in the intervention group 3 months after the intervention. No significant differences were found in the rest of the variables measured. Conclusion: The intervention group decreased sitting time after the intervention. Group activities and support from primary care may be useful to improve treatment adherence. RCT registration: NCT01729936.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuhiro Shimo ◽  
Mami Hasegawa ◽  
Seiko Mizutani ◽  
Tomomi Hasegawa ◽  
Takahiro Ushida

Abstract Background Physical activity (PA) is essential in the management and rehabilitation of low back pain (LBP). However, it is not clear if workplace PA interventions can improve LBP. This study aimed to investigate the effects of workplace interview intervention on increasing PA and improving LBP among office workers. Methods We recruited 37 workers of a manufacturing company in Aichi, Japan. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n=20) or control group (n=17). We affixed waist-worn accelerometers to monitor PA in all participants, and provided face-to-face counseling with a physical therapist or nurse once a week for 12 weeks as workplace PA program to reassurance and encourage participants to keep high levels of PA. PA and LBP severity were assessed at baseline, 3 and 6 months. Results Baseline characteristics were similar in both groups, but PA was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group at 3 and 6 months. In the intervention group, was PA significantly increased at 3 and 6 months from baseline and LBP severity improved significantly at 6 months from baseline. We calculated the effect size of the interview intervention, and found that workplace interview intervention had a medium to large effect on PA and LBP severity. Conclusions Our data suggests that workplace PA intervention can increase PA and improve LBP among office workers. Trial registration UMIN-CTR Clinical Trial UMIN000038864 (https://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr_e/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000044321). Registered 12 December 2019, retrospectively registered.


Author(s):  
Christoph Becker ◽  
Sebastian Schmidt ◽  
Elmo Neuberger ◽  
Peter Kirsch ◽  
Perikles Simon ◽  
...  

Education outside the classroom (EOtC) can be beneficial for students. The relationship between biological stress markers and sedentary behavior (SB) plus physical activity (PA) is insufficiently evaluated in school settings. This exploratory study aims to evaluate the association between students&rsquo; cortisol, plus circulating cell-free deoxyribonucleic acid (cfDNA) levels, and their SB, light PA (LPA) and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) during outdoor and indoor classes in different seasons. We assessed data from an education outside the classroom (EOtC) program (n = 48; intervention group [IG], n = 37; control group [CG], n = 11). We sampled data on 3 school-days in three seasons (fall, spring, and summer) in normal teaching indoors (CG) and outdoor lessons (IG) in the forest. SB and PA were evaluated by accelerometry, and cortisol and cfDNA levels by saliva samples. The compositional data analysis approach analyzed SB and PA. Fitted Bayesian hierarchical linear models evaluated the association between cortisol and cfDNA, and SB/LPA/MVPA. A steady decline of cortisol in the outdoor setting is associated with relatively high levels of LPA. SB and MVPA tended to exhibit a similar effect in the indoor setting. CfDNA is positively associated with a relatively high amount of SB in the IG, the same association is likely for LPA and MVPA in both groups. LPA seems to support a healthy cortisol decrease in children during outdoor lessons. The relevance of SB/PA as a composition in relation to students stress response in school should be emphasized. This study facilitates the formulation of straightforward and directed hypotheses for further research.


Author(s):  
Rui Wang ◽  
Victoria Blom ◽  
Carla F. J. Nooijen ◽  
Lena V. Kallings ◽  
Örjan Ekblom ◽  
...  

A knowledge gap remains in understanding how to improve the intervention effectiveness in office workers targeting physically active (PA) behavior. We aim to identify the modifying effect of executive function (EF) on the intervention effectiveness targeting PA-behaviors, and to verify whether the observed effect varies by Job Demand Control (JDC) categories. This workplace-based intervention study included 245 participants who were randomized into a control group and two intervention arms—promoting physical activity (iPA) group or reducing sedentary behavior (iSED) group. The interventions were conducted through counselling-based cognitive behavioral therapy and team activities over 6 months. PA-behaviors were measured by an accelerometer. EF was assessed by the Trail Making Test-B, Stroop, and n-back test. The JDC categories were measured by the demand control questionnaire. Higher EF level at baseline was significantly associated with the intervention effect on increased sleep time (β-coefficient: 3.33, p = 0.003) and decreased sedentary time (−2.76, p = 0.049) in the iSED-group. Participants with active jobs (high job demands, high control) presented significantly increased light-intensity PA in the iSED-group in comparison to the control group. Among participants with a high level of EF and active jobs, relative to the control group, the iPA-group showed a substantial increase in light-intensity PA (1.58, p = 0.036) and the iSED-group showed a tendency of reducing sedentary behavior (−5.35, p = 0.054). The findings suggest that office workers with a high EF and active jobs may benefit most from an intervention study targeting PA-behaviors.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 343-348
Author(s):  
Sheri J. Hartman ◽  
Dori Pekmezi ◽  
Shira I. Dunsiger ◽  
Bess H. Marcus

Background: Latinas have high rates of sedentary behavior and related health disparities, but it is unknown if interventions to increase physical activity will also reduce sedentary time. The current study examined changes in objectively measured sedentary time among Latinas in a randomized controlled trial of a physical activity intervention. Methods: Spanish-speaking Latinas (N = 202) were randomized to an exercise or wellness group and wore an accelerometer at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. Results: Participants were sedentary on an average of 8.86 hours per day (SD = 2.60) at baseline. The intervention group had significantly greater increases in sedentary time compared with the control group, with the intervention group engaging in 146 more minutes per week of sedentary time at 6 months and 254 minutes per week of sedentary time at 12 months than the control group (P = .02). The intervention effect on sedentary behavior remained after controlling for moderate to vigorous physical activity. Additionally, time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity was positively associated with more sedentary time (P = .04). Conclusion: An intervention to increase moderate to vigorous physical activity resulted in greater sedentary time, raising concerns regarding compensation and highlighting the need for interventions to address both physical activity and sedentary behavior to improve public health.


2018 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Francisco José Gondim Pitanga ◽  
Sheila Maria Alvim Matos ◽  
Maria da Conceição Almeida ◽  
Rosane Härter Griep ◽  
Maria Carmem Viana ◽  
...  

The main objective was to identify the prevalence and factors associated with sedentary behavior (SB). The study comprising a total of 13,765 individuals of both sexes participating in the Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil) assessed in the second wave (2012-2014). e SB was measured using questions related to sitting time during the week and weekend. e associated factors were assessed by face-to-face interviews, with blocks of questionnaires and anthropometric measurements. A hierarchical ecological model was built with all possible factors associated with SB: sociodemographic environment (age and level of education; economic status); behavioral environment (leisure time physical activity, commuting physical activity, beer consumption, current smoking); and biological environment (overweight, obesity and abdominal obesity). Crude and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were estimated using logistic regression. Among men and women, higher education, current smoking and abdominal obesity were positively associated with SB, while being over 51 years old and being physically active were negatively associated with SB. The proposed ecological model explains the SB through the sociodemographic, behavioral and biological environment.


Author(s):  
Takashi Jindo ◽  
Yuko Kai ◽  
Naruki Kitano ◽  
Kyohsuke Wakaba ◽  
Mitsuru Makishima ◽  
...  

It has been reported that office environment is an important determinant of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) in office workers. However, the effect of changes in office environment (office renovation) is unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine PA, SB, and space utilization changes among office workers in response to office renovation. This study was a natural experiment at three offices of a single company in Tokyo, Japan. The participants were, 13 workers from one office in the renovation group (mean age: 37.9 ± 10.8 years, percentage of females: 23.1%) and 29 from two offices in the control group (mean age: 42.3 ± 11.2 years, percentage of females: 31.0%). In the renovation, introduction of activity-based working (ABW) and installation of height-adjustable desks (HAD) were adopted. The ABW office was designed to provide various shared workstations, enabling the workers to choose workstations depending on their task or mood. Accelerometer measurement and object detection method using artificial intelligence (AI) technology for video images were used to assess behavior and space utilization before and after the renovation. Two weeks after the renovation, significant improvements in SB (pre- to post-renovation improvements: 346.8 ± 28.6 to 321.2 ± 17.8 min/working-hours) and PA (total PA: 173.2 ± 28.6 to 198.8 ± 17.8 min/working-hours; and light-intensity PA: 130.4 ± 27.1 to 150.7 ± 31.0 min/working-hours) were observed. In addition, the results of the object detection analysis showed that the central aisle of the office and shared HAD workstations near the entrance or window were utilized more frequently than the other spaces. This study suggested that office renovation could improve SB and PA immediately after the renovation. Moreover, utilized spaces and HAD workstations could play an important role to enhance employees’ activity in an ABW office.


Author(s):  
Francesca Gallè ◽  
Pierluigi Pecoraro ◽  
Patrizia Calella ◽  
Giuseppe Cerullo ◽  
Maria Imoletti ◽  
...  

Background: Classroom Active Breaks (CABs), short active sessions integrated in the school time, have been recognized as a promising tool to reduce sedentary behavior and increase Physical Activity (PA) levels in children. “AulAttiva” is a six-month CABs-based program implemented in primary schools of the province of Naples. The aim of this study was to evaluate its effectiveness by comparing PA and sedentary time of participating pupils respect to a control group, considering also their weight status. Methods: Four third-grade classes, each from 4 schools out of 32 participating in AulAttiva, and 4 third-grade classes, each from 4 schools out of 74 that did not take part, were randomly selected. Finally, 58 children composed the intervention group and 57 the control group. Age, gender, weight and height were registered for each participant. Weight status was classified as non-overweight and overweight/obesity. Sedentary time and PA were assessed through accelerometers along a school day. Results: Light PA was 4 min higher in the AulAttiva group with respect to controls (p = 0.046). Within the non-overweight children, the AulAttiva group spent less time in sedentary behavior and more time in light and total PA than controls. No significant differences were found between the overweight/obese subgroups. Conclusions: The results support the effectiveness of CABs in increasing PA during the school day. Greater effects were registered among normal weight pupils, suggesting the possible influence of weight status on children’s participation to the intervention. Further studies are needed to improve the compliance of overweight/obese children to this intervention.


10.2196/15085 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. e15085 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meihua Piao ◽  
Hyeongju Ryu ◽  
Hyeongsuk Lee ◽  
Jeongeun Kim

Background Lack of time for exercise is common among office workers given their busy lives. Because of occupational restrictions and difficulty in taking time off, it is necessary to suggest effective ways for workers to exercise regularly. Sustaining lifestyle habits that increase nonexercise activity in daily life can solve the issue of lack of exercise time. Healthy Lifestyle Coaching Chatbot is a messenger app based on the habit formation model that can be used as a tool to provide a health behavior intervention that emphasizes the importance of sustainability and involvement. Objective This study aimed to assess the efficacy of the Healthy Lifestyle Coaching Chatbot intervention presented via a messenger app aimed at stair-climbing habit formation for office workers. Methods From February 1, 2018, to April 30, 2018, a total of 106 people participated in the trial after online recruitment. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n=57) or the control group (n=49). The intervention group received cues and intrinsic and extrinsic rewards for the entire 12 weeks. However, the control group did not receive intrinsic rewards for the first 4 weeks and only received all rewards as in the intervention group from the fifth to twelfth week. The Self-Report Habit Index (SRHI) of participants was evaluated every week, and the level of physical activity was measured at the beginning and end of the trial. SPSS Statistics version 21 (IBM Corp) was used for statistical analysis. Results After 4 weeks of intervention without providing the intrinsic rewards in the control group, the change in SRHI scores was 13.54 (SD 14.99) in the intervention group and 6.42 (SD 9.42) in the control group, indicating a significant difference between the groups (P=.04). When all rewards were given to both groups, from the fifth to twelfth week, the change in SRHI scores of the intervention and control groups was comparable at 12.08 (SD 10.87) and 15.88 (SD 13.29), respectively (P=.21). However, the level of physical activity showed a significant difference between the groups after 12 weeks of intervention (P=.045). Conclusions This study provides evidence that intrinsic rewards are important to enhance the sustainability and effectiveness of an intervention. The Healthy Lifestyle Coaching Chatbot program can be a cost-effective method for healthy habit formation. Trial Registration Clinical Research Information Service KCT0004009; https://tinyurl.com/w4oo7md


Author(s):  
Ilona van de Kolk ◽  
Sanne M. P. L. Gerards ◽  
Lisa S. E. Harms ◽  
Stef P. J. Kremers ◽  
Jessica S. Gubbels

SuperFIT is a comprehensive, integrated intervention approach aimed at promoting healthy energy balance-related behaviors in 2- to 4-year-old children in the preschool and home settings. A quasi-experimental research design was adopted to evaluate the effects of SuperFIT on physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior (SB) and Body Mass Index (BMI) z-score. Children could participate in the preschool-based and family-based component (full intervention) or only in the preschool-based component (partial intervention). Children’s PA levels and SB were assessed with accelerometers and observations, and height and weight were measured for the BMI z-score. Measurements were performed at baseline and two follow-up time points. Effectiveness was evaluated using linear mixed-model analyses, correcting for relevant covariates. Healthy changes in PA levels occurred within all study groups over time. No significant differences were found in overall PA levels between the intervention groups and control group at both follow-ups. Nevertheless, sedentary behavior decreased more in the full intervention group (effect size (ES): −0.62), and moderate-to-vigorous PA (ES: 0.85) and counts per minute (ES: 0.45) increased more compared to the control group on preschool days at the first follow-up. No effects were found for BMI z-score. The integrated approach of SuperFIT may induce changes in PA of young children, although the effects were small.


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