An Intervention to Reduce Sitting Time at Work: Effects on Metabolic Health and Inactivity
Condition: Sedentary Lifestyle
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The purpose of this study is to determine whether varying the frequency and length of
      activity breaks during the workday will differentially impact sedentary behavior and health
      outcomes. Participants will be randomly assigned to take short, frequent breaks (i.e., 1
      minute every half hour) or longer, planned breaks (i.e., two 15-minute walks) from sitting
      during the workday. They will be instructed to follow the assigned protocols for an 8-week
      intervention and the effects of their participation on sedentary behavior and a variety of
      health outcomes will be assessed. The investigators anticipate participants in both
      intervention arms will demonstrate significant reductions in daily sitting time, bit do not
      have an a priori hypothesis regarding the relative effectiveness of each approach.
    

Detailed description: 
      The purpose of this study is to determine whether varying the frequency and length of
      activity breaks during the workday will differentially impact sedentary behavior and health
      outcomes. Women aged 25-50 who work full-time in sedentary jobs and participate in less than
      60 minutes of overall physical activity per week will be recruited. At the beginning of the
      study participants will visit the laboratory to complete baseline health assessments and meet
      with a research assistant to outline their plan for reducing sitting time at work. At this
      time they will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: 1) Group A will be asked to take
      two 15-minute walks during each workday, or 2) Group B will be asked to stand up and move
      around for 1-2 minutes every half hour throughout the workday. The total duration of this
      program will be eight weeks. During this time participants will be asked to keep a brief
      daily log of their activity breaks during the workday. At the end of the 8-week program
      participants will return to the laboratory to repeat the health assessments.

      ASSESSMENTS:

      All participants will complete the following tests and procedures:

        -  Metabolic blood panel. Blood will be drawn from a quick finger stick to assess total
           cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, HDL, and fasting glucose.

        -  DEXA scan. Participants will lie down on a body scanner for about 10 minutes to assess
           body composition.

        -  Body measurements. A trained research assistant will measure height, weight, and waist
           circumference.

        -  Blood pressure. A trained research assistant will measure blood pressure using an
           automated blood pressure cuff.

      In addition, participants will complete the following assessments outside of the laboratory:

        -  Questionnaires: Participants will be asked to complete a series of questionnaires. This
           should take 15-20 minutes.

        -  Accelerometer: Participants will be asked to wear a motion sensor for a total of 21 days
           (three 7-day periods). This small apparatus is worn around the waist during the day.
           Participants will complete a log indicating when they were wearing the accelerometer
           each day.

        -  Food diary: Participants will be asked to record their food intake for a total of 9 days
           (three 3-day periods).
    

Intervention name(s): Short breaks; Long breaks
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Following baseline testing, participants will attend a 30-minute individual orientation session, during which they will complete a planning worksheet with a research assistant. They will identify specific strategies they will use to accomplish the pre-specified goal (i.e., to take a 1-minute active break every 30 minutes during the workday). They will also identify potential barriers they will face and devise strategies for overcoming them. The intervention will officially start the Monday after the orientation session and will last for 8 weeks. Participants will receive a weekly email containing tips related to reducing sitting time at work. All participants will complete daily activity logs indicating the time and duration of all breaks from sitting across the 8-week intervention.; Following baseline testing, participants will attend a 30-minute individual orientation session, during which they will complete a planning worksheet with a research assistant. They will identify specific strategies they will use to accomplish the pre-specified goal (i.e., to take two 15-minute activity breaks during each workday). They will also identify potential barriers they will face and devise strategies for overcoming them. The intervention will officially start the Monday after the orientation session and will last for 8 weeks. Participants will receive a weekly email containing tips related to reducing sitting time at work. All participants will complete daily activity logs indicating the time and duration of all breaks from sitting across the 8-week intervention.
Other intervention name(s): Up4Health - short breaks; Up4Health - long breaks
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: worksite; intervention; sitting