Ergonomics and the standing desk (original) (raw)
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Cross-sectional Examination of Long-term Access to Sit–Stand Desks in a Professional Office Setting
American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2016
Introduction: Prolonged sedentary behavior is an independent risk factor for many negative health outcomes. Although many employers have begun introducing sit-stand desks as means of reducing employee's occupational sitting time, few studies have examined the impact of prolonged access to such desks on sitting/standing time or cardiometabolic outcomes. The present study compared occupational sedentary/physical activity behaviors and cardiometabolic biomarkers among employees with long-term access to traditional sitting and sit-stand desks. Methods: This study used a naturalistic, cross-sectional study design. Occupational sedentary and physical activity behaviors and cardiometabolic health outcomes were collected in a controlled laboratory between February and June 2014. Data were analyzed in September 2014. Adults working in full-time sedentary desk jobs who reported having either a sit-stand desk (n¼31) or standard sitting desk (n¼38) for a minimum of 6 months were recruited. Results: Employees with sit-stand desks sat less (p¼0.02) and stood more at work (p¼0.01) compared with employees with sitting desks. Significant inverse correlations were observed between several occupational physical activity outcomes (walking time, steps at work) and cardiometabolic risk factors (systolic blood pressure, weight, lean mass, BMI) over the entire sample. Conclusions: Employees with long-term access to sit-stand desks sat less and stood more compared with employees with sitting desks. These findings hold public health significance, as sitstand desks represent a potentially sustainable approach for reducing sedentary behavior among the large, growing number of sedentary workers at increased risk for sedentariness-related pathologies.
Long-term effects of sit-stand workstations on workplace sitting: A natural experiment
Journal of science and medicine in sport, 2017
Sit-stand workstations may result in significant reductions in workplace sitting. However, few studies have examined long-term maintenance under real-world conditions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate workplace sitting time, cardio-metabolic biomarkers, and work productivity during a workplace re-design which included the installation of sit-stand workstations. Natural experiment with appropriately matched comparison. Office workers from distinct worksites in the same unit were recruited (Intervention, n=24; Comparison, n=12). Intervention arm participants received a sit-stand workstation and 4 months of sitting-specific motivational support. The comparison arm received 4 months of ergonomic focused motivational support. Time spent in sitting, standing, and other physical activity were measured by activPAL3c for a week. Cardio-metabolic biomarkers and work productivity were also measured. Assessments occurred at baseline, 4 months, and 18 months. At 4 months, work sitting t...
Alternative Workstations: Magic Pills for Office Worker Health?
Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 2017
Routine office or computer work are of public health concerns due to their sedentary nature. Sit- stand desks may be prescribed for employees based on medical or ergonomic factors. Sit-stand or active workstations, either assigned to individual workers or made available in “unassigned” office areas are also making inroads into the workplace with the goal of reducing sedentary work, varying (alternating) work postures, improving productivity, or accommodating workers with musculoskeletal symptoms. This diverse panel will present recent research and practice findings and invite audience participation in a discussion of this trending topic. Studies examining the effects of sit-stand or active workstations on physiological and cardiovascular outcomes will be reported. The effects on movement patterns, performance and productivity will also be examined. Real workplace interventions and examples of practices will be presented. The goal is to provide a forum to share our understanding abou...
BMC public health, 2016
Prolonged sitting is ubiquitous in modern society and linked to several diseases. Height-adjustable desks are being used to decrease worksite based sitting time (ST). Single-desk sit-to-stand workplaces exhibit small ST reduction potential and short-term loss in performance. The aim of this paper is to report the study design and methodology of an ACTIVE OFFICE trial. The study was a 1-year three-arm, randomized controlled trial in 18 healthy Austrian office workers. Allocation was done via a regional health insurance, with data collection during Jan 2014 - March 2015. Participants were allocated to either an intervention or control group. Intervention group subjects were provided with traditional or two-desk sit-to-stand workstations in either the first or the second half of the study, while control subjects did not experience any changes during the whole study duration. Sitting time and physical activity (IPAQ-long), cognitive performance (text editing task, Stroop-test, d2R test ...
Journal of occupational and environmental medicine, 2017
No studies have objectively-measured habitual usage of sit-stand workstations. Eighteen full-time office workers participated (47.9 ± 9.2 years, 61% female). Sitting time was objectively-measured (activPAL, 24 h/7d), and time at desk, desk position, and perceptions of desk use were self-reported. Participants sat for 39% of their daily workstation time, and changed workstation position twice daily. The most common reasons for standing included back pain (44%) and tiredness (22%). The majority of participants received no workstation occupational health (72%) or educational (61%) information. Workstation standing time had a significant moderate correlation with total daily standing time (p = 0.02). Office workers with sit-stand workstations rarely change desk position, and there is no relationship between the time spent sitting at the workstation, and total daily sitting time. Education about the workstations was limited.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2014
Objective: This study was conducted to determine whether installation of sit-stand desks (SSDs) could lead to decreased sitting time during the workday among sedentary office workers. Methods: A randomized cross-over trial was conducted from January to April, 2012 at a business in Minneapolis. 28 (nine men, 26 full-time) sedentary office workers took part in a 4 week intervention period which included the use of SSDs to gradually replace 50% of sitting time with standing during the workday. Physical activity was the primary outcome. Mood, energy level, fatigue, appetite, dietary intake, and productivity were explored as secondary outcomes. Results: The intervention reduced sitting time at work by 21% (95% CI 18%-25%) and sedentary time by 4.8 min/work-hr (95% CI 4.1-5.4 min/work-hr). For a 40 h work-week, this translates into replacement of 8 h of sitting time with standing and sedentary time being reduced by 3.2 h. Activity level during non-work hours did not change. The intervention also increased overall sense of well-being, energy, decreased fatigue, had no impact on productivity, and reduced OPEN ACCESS Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2014, 11 6654 appetite and dietary intake. The workstations were popular with the participants. Conclusion: The SSD intervention was successful in increasing work-time activity level, without changing activity level during non-work hours.
BMC Public Health, 2015
Background: A lack of physical activity and excessive sitting can contribute to poor physical health and wellbeing. The high percentage of the UK adult population in employment, and the prolonged sitting associated with desk-based office-work, make these workplaces an appropriate setting for interventions to reduce sedentary behaviour and increase physical activity. This pilot study aims to determine the effect of an office-based sit-stand workstation intervention, compared with usual desk use, on daily sitting, standing and physical activity, and to examine the factors that underlie sitting, standing and physical activity, within and outside, the workplace.
Office work: ergonomic and medical aspects
A special attention must be given to office work in order to increase efficiency of the corporation and to preserve the health of the workforce. Physical work is easier to plan and to measure because the tasks are predictable and repeatable in a high volume. Office work includes various activities with difficulties in estimating time- and resource need. Physical and mental flexibility of people bridges the challenges of continuous working but there are many long term adverse effects. The paper looks the impacts of office work environment on the muscular-skeletal system of ergonomic perspective. People spend several hours every day sitting in front of the computer during work and non-work activities. Although technologically the development of computer technology is dynamic, people may criticize the results from the ergonomic point of view. Economic aspects and lack of knowledge together may lead to the development of a work environment, which discourages effective work. The most common problems come from the bad sitting posture, the wrong positioning of the mouse or the keyboard on the table and the improper selection of tools and gadgets in the direct work environment. These lead to mutation of human muscular-skeletal system. Next to this the static muscle load results short term problems as well. The experiences of our empiric research shows that factors of individual satisfaction may differ from the professional viewpoint of ergonomics and medical sciences. This is why exploring the possibilities of convergence is important, including knowledge dissemination or promotion of prevention exercises.
Trials, 2023
Background Sedentary behavior (SB) has been linked to several negative health outcomes. Therefore, reducing SB or breaking up prolonged periods of SB improves functional fitness, food consumption, job satisfaction, and productivity. Reducing SB can be achieved by introducing a health-enhancing contextual modification promoted by a sit-stand desk in the workplace. The primary goal will be to test the effectiveness of this intervention in reducing and breaking up SB, while improving health outcomes in office-based workers during a 6-month intervention. Methods A two-arm (1:1), superiority parallel-group cluster RCT will be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of this intervention in a sample of office-based workers from a university in Portugal. The intervention will consist of a psychoeducation session, motivational prompts, and contextual modification promoted by a sit-stand desk in the workplace for 6 months. The control group will work as usual in their workplace, with no contextual change or prompts during the 6-month intervention. Three assessment points will be conducted in both groups, pre-intervention (baseline), post-intervention, and a 3-month follow-up. The primary outcomes include sedentary and physical activity-related variables, which will be objectively assessed with 24 h monitoring using the ActivPAL for 7 days. The secondary outcomes include (a) biometric indices as body composition, body mass index, waist circumference, and postural inequalities; and (b) psychosocial variables such as overall and work-related fatigue, overall discomfort, life/ work satisfaction, quality of life, and eating behavior. Both the primary and secondary outcomes will be assessed at each assessment point. Discussion This study will lean on the use of a sit-stand workstation for 6 months, prompted by an initial psychoeducational session and ongoing motivational prompts. We will aim to contribute to this topic by providing robust data on alternating sitting and standing postures in the workplace.