Clinical trial NCT02932787: Effects of Installing Height-adjustable Workstations on Office Workers Workplace Sitting Time and Productivity
Official title: Effects of Installing Height-adjustable Workstations on Occupational Sitting Time and Workplace Productivity in Desk-based Workers
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Workplace Inactivity
Lead sponsor: Sheffield Hallam University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2016-10-13
Enrollment: 31
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 65
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: The purpose of this study was to look at the effects that height-adjustable workstations on occupational sitting time and workplace productivity in office workers. Participants workplace activity (sitting, standing and walking) and productivity was measured before the installation of the height-adjustable workstations. Workplace activity and productivity were then measured four weeks after the installation of height-adjustable workstations. The results were compared to a control group who received no intervention whilst the intervention had the height-adjustable workstations.

Detailed description: Sedentary behaviour has been found to be ubiquitous within the workplace and due to the negative consequences of sedentary behaviour upon health, research has began to look at ways to reduce and interrupt sedentary behaviour.

Interventions that have introduced height-adjustable workstations into the workplace have been found to reduce sedentary behaviour. Some employees and employers are concerned that using height-adjustable workstations and trying to reduce workplace sedentary behaviour can lead to a loss of workplace productivity.

The present study looked at the effects of installing height-adjustable workstations on occupational sitting time and workplace productivity in desk-based workers. Workplace activity was measured objectively using ActivPal accelerometers and productivity was measured via self-report measures. Measurements took place at baseline and four weeks after receiving the height-adjustable workstation.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

1. age 18 to 65 years,
2. working ≥0.6 full time equivalents,
3. access to a work telephone and desktop computer with internet,
4. not pregnant,
5. no planned absence \>1 week during the trial,
6. not chair-bound or uniquely impaired such that reducing occupational sitting time was not feasible,
7. no pre-existing musculoskeletal disorder.

Exclusion Criteria:

-

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change in Workplace Sedentary Time
timeFrame: Baseline (0 weeks), 4 weeks after installation of height-adjustable workstations
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Change in Workplace Absenteeism Using the World Health Organisation Health and Work Performance Questionnaire
timeFrame: Baseline (0 weeks), 4 weeks after installation of height-adjustable workstations
measure: Change in Workplace Presenteeism Using the World Health Organisation Health and Work Performance Questionnaire
timeFrame: Baseline (0 weeks), 4 weeks after installation of height-adjustable workstations
Other outcomes:
Locations:
Study officials:
affiliation: Sheffield Hallam University
name: Simon H Till
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Neuhaus M, Eakin EG, Straker L, Owen N, Dunstan DW, Reid N, Healy GN. Reducing occupational sedentary time: a systematic review and meta-analysis of evidence on activity-permissive workstations. Obes Rev. 2014 Oct;15(10):822-38. doi: 10.1111/obr.12201. Epub 2014 Jul 11.
citation: Wilmot EG, Edwardson CL, Achana FA, Davies MJ, Gorely T, Gray LJ, Khunti K, Yates T, Biddle SJ. Sedentary time in adults and the association with diabetes, cardiovascular disease and death: systematic review and meta-analysis. Diabetologia. 2012 Nov;55(11):2895-905. doi: 10.1007/s00125-012-2677-z. Epub 2012 Aug 14.
citation: Kazi A, Duncan M, Clemes S, Haslam C. A survey of sitting time among UK employees. Occup Med (Lond). 2014 Oct;64(7):497-502. doi: 10.1093/occmed/kqu099. Epub 2014 Aug 18.
citation: Kessler RC, Barber C, Beck A, Berglund P, Cleary PD, McKenas D, Pronk N, Simon G, Stang P, Ustun TB, Wang P. The World Health Organization Health and Work Performance Questionnaire (HPQ). J Occup Environ Med. 2003 Feb;45(2):156-74. doi: 10.1097/01.jom.0000052967.43131.51.