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Evaluation of sit-stand workstations in an office setting: a randomised controlled trial.
- Source :
-
BMC Public Health . 11/19/2015, Vol. 15 Issue 1, p1-14. 14p. - Publication Year :
- 2015
-
Abstract
- <bold>Background: </bold>Excessive sitting time is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease mortality and morbidity independent of physical activity. This aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a sit-stand workstation on sitting time, and vascular, metabolic and musculoskeletal outcomes in office workers, and to investigate workstation acceptability and feasibility.<bold>Methods: </bold>A two-arm, parallel-group, individually randomised controlled trial was conducted in one organisation. Participants were asymptomatic full-time office workers aged ≥18 years. Each participant in the intervention arm had a sit-stand workstation installed on their workplace desk for 8 weeks. Participants in the control arm received no intervention. The primary outcome was workplace sitting time, assessed at 0, 4 and 8 weeks by an ecological momentary assessment diary. Secondary behavioural, cardiometabolic and musculoskeletal outcomes were assessed. Acceptability and feasibility were assessed via questionnaire and interview. ANCOVA and magnitude-based inferences examined intervention effects relative to controls at 4 and 8 weeks. Participants and researchers were not blind to group allocation.<bold>Results: </bold>Forty-seven participants were randomised (intervention n = 26; control n = 21). Relative to the control group at 8 weeks, the intervention group had a beneficial decrease in sitting time (-80.2 min/8-h workday (95 % CI = -129.0, -31.4); p = 0.002), increase in standing time (72.9 min/8-h workday (21.2, 124.6); p = 0.007) and decrease in total cholesterol (-0.40 mmol/L  (-0.79, -0.003); p = 0.049). No harmful changes in musculoskeletal discomfort/pain were observed relative to controls, and beneficial changes in flow-mediated dilation and diastolic blood pressure were observed. Most participants self-reported that the workstation was easy to use and their work-related productivity did not decrease when using the device. Factors that negatively influenced workstation use were workstation design, the social environment, work tasks and habits.<bold>Conclusion: </bold>Short-term use of a feasible sit-stand workstation reduced daily sitting time and led to beneficial improvements in cardiometabolic risk parameters in asymptomatic office workers. These findings imply that if the observed use of the sit-stand workstations continued over a longer duration, sit-stand workstations may have important ramifications for the prevention and reduction of cardiometabolic risk in a large proportion of the working population.<bold>Trial Registration: </bold>ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02496507 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- *PHYSICAL activity
*MUSCULOSKELETAL system
*HEALTH outcome assessment
*RANDOMIZED controlled trials
*FEASIBILITY studies
*DISEASE risk factors
*BLOOD sugar
*COMPARATIVE studies
*COMPUTERS
*HEMODYNAMICS
*LABOR productivity
*LIPIDS
*RESEARCH methodology
*MEDICAL cooperation
*POSTURE
*RESEARCH
*TIME
*WORK environment
*SOCIOECONOMIC factors
*EVALUATION research
*SOCIAL context
*SEDENTARY lifestyles
CARDIOVASCULAR disease related mortality
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 14712458
- Volume :
- 15
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- BMC Public Health
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 111145739
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-2469-8