Background
Method
Study design
Recruitment
Organisation level
Individual level
Group assignment and intervention
Intervention group
Control group
Data collection
Outcome measures
Sitting, standing and walking time
Vascular outcomes
Blood sampling
Musculoskeletal outcomes
Anthropometric, sociodemographic, work-related and office environment characteristics
Acceptability and feasibility
Sample size
Statistical analyses
Missing data and intention-to-treat analysis
Minimum important differences analysis
Results
Intervention (n = 26) | Control (n = 21) | All (n = 47) | |
---|---|---|---|
Age (years) | 38.8 ± 9.8 | 38.4 ± 9.3 | 38.6 ± 9.5 |
Female | 89 (23) | 67 (14) | 79 (37) |
White British | 92 (24) | 100 (21) | 96 (45) |
Married | 58 (15) | 48 (10) | 53 (25) |
Time at current workplace | |||
<1 year | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
1–3 years | 8 (2) | 19 (4) | 13 (6) |
>3 years | 92 (24) | 81 (17) | 87 (41) |
Tertiary education | 100 (26) | 91 (19) | 96 (45) |
Job category | |||
Manager/Director | 31 (8) | 14 (3) | 23 (11) |
Clerical/Services/Other | 69 (18) | 86 (18) | 77 (36) |
Number of other people in the office | |||
0 | 19 (5) | 19 (4) | 19 (9) |
1–3 | 12 (3) | 0 (0) | 6 (3) |
>3 | 69 (18) | 81 (17) | 75 (35) |
Never smoked | 77 (20) | 76 (16) | 77 (36) |
Body mass (kg) | 67.4 ± 13.8 | 70.5 ± 16.4 | 68.8 ± 14.9 |
Body mass index (kg/m2) | 24.9 ± 4.4 | 24.7 ± 4.6 | 24.8 ± 4.4 |
Intervention (n = 23) | Control (n = 21) | Adjusted change 0 to 4 week (95 % CI)b | Adjusted change 0 to 8 week (95 % CI)b | Probability (%) the true effect is beneficial / trivial / harmful | Qualitative inference (8 week) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(minutes/8-hour workday) | Baseline | 4 week | 8 week | Baseline | 4 week | 8 week | ||||
Sitting time | 385.9 (57.6) | 299.2 (93.4) | 322.0 (99.3) | 387.0 (41.0) | 387.5 (78.0) | 402.2 (47.9) | −87.6 (−136.8 to −38.3)* | −80.2 (−129.0 to −31.4) * | 79/21/0 | Benefit likely |
Standing time | 41.1 (35.0) | 141.1 (98.0) | 115.4 (111.6) | 42.5 (26.0) | 61.0 (76.2) | 43.7 (50.2) | 82.2 (36.5 to 127.8)* | 72.9 (21.2 to 124.6)* | 69/31/0 | Benefit possible |
Walking time | 53.0 (41.2) | 39.7 (33.4) | 42.6 (42.3) | 50.5 (24.2) | 31.4 (24.4) | 34.0 (29.1) | 7.3 (−8.7 to 23.2) | 7.1 (−12.1 to 26.3) | 38/58/4 | Possibly trivial |
Intervention | Control | Adjusted change 0 to 8 week (95 % CI)b | Probability (%) the true effect is beneficial / trivial / harmful | Qualitative inference | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Baseline | 8 week | Baseline | 8 week | ||||
Vascular (n = 24 I, 19 C) | |||||||
FMD (%) | 5.98 (2.32) | 7.13 (2.42) | 5.88 (2.29) | 6.13 (2.64) | 0.97 (−0.55 to 2.50) | 75/22/3 | Benefit likely |
cIMT (mm) | 0.62 (0.07) | 0.61 (0.07) | 0.58 (0.08) | 0.57 (0.08) | 0.00 (−0.03 to 0.02) | 13/84/3 | Likely trivial |
Systolic BP (mmHg) | 119.1 (13.8) | 117.1 (12.5) | 117.9 (12.1) | 117.3 (9.0) | −1.6 (−7.0 to 3.7) | 22/71/7 | Unclear |
Diastolic BP (mmHg) | 73.5 (7.6) | 68.9 (8.5) | 71.8 (10.7) | 70.5 (9.5) | −2.5 (−7.2 to 2.2) | 62/35/3 | Benefit possible |
Blood (n = 20 I, 17 C) | |||||||
Glucose (mmol/L) | 5.30 (0.79) | 4.59 (0.84) | 4.85 (0.62) | 4.49 (0.55) | −0.09 (−0.56 to 0.39) | 37/49/14 | Unclear |
Triglycerides (mmol/L) | 1.65 (0.70) | 1.61 (0.74) | 1.61 (0.64) | 1.65 (0.73) | 0.11 (−0.23 to 0.45) | 6/55/39 | Unclear |
Cholesterol (mmol/L) | 4.45 (0.98) | 3.79 (1.05) | 3.94 (0.86) | 3.78 (0.74) | −0.40 (−0.79 to −0.003)* | 82/18/0 | Benefit likely |
Musculoskeletal discomfort/painc (n = 25 I, 21 C) | |||||||
Lower back | 2.5 (2.2) | 1.8 (2.0) | 2.0 (2.0) | 1.7 (1.8) | −0.2 (−1.0 to 0.7) | 35/50/15 | Unclear |
Upper back | 1.9 (2.3) | 1.1 (1.7) | 1.2 (1.5) | 1.6 (2.3) | −0.9 (−1.9 to 0.2) | 83/16/1 | Benefit likely |
Neck and shoulder | 2.6 (2.5) | 1.9 (2.4) | 2.1 (2.0) | 2.2 (2.4) | −0.6 (−1.5 to 0.2) | 63/36/1 | Benefit possible |
Intervention effects
Sitting, standing and walking time
Vascular outcomes
Blood sampling
Musculoskeletal and anthropometric outcomes
Acceptability and feasibility
Questions | Quartile 1 | Median | Quartile 3 |
---|---|---|---|
The sit-stand workstation is easy to use | 4.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 |
I would use the sit-stand workstation as an alternative to be active on days that the weather is bad | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 |
I felt comfortable using the sit-stand workstation in the presence of others at my work | 3.5 | 4.0 | 5.0 |
My work-related productivity decreased while using the sit-stand workstation | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 |
The quality of my work decreased while using the sit-stand workstation | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 |
The sit-stand workstation interfered with my daily work-related tasks | 2.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 |
I could conduct normal computer-related tasks while using the sit-stand workstation | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 |
I could read comfortably while using the sit-stand workstation | 2.3 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
I was more tired on days I used the sit-stand workstation | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 |
I had more back pain on days I used the sit-stand workstation | 1.3 | 2.0 | 4.0 |
I had more joint pain on days I used the sit-stand workstation | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
I had more muscle aches on days I used the sit-stand workstation | 1.3 | 2.0 | 3.0 |
My physical activity increased while at work as a result of the sit-stand workstation | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.8 |
The time I spent being sedentary decreased while at work as a result of the sit-stand workstation | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 |
My physical activity increased outside of work as a result of the sit-stand workstation | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.0 |
If I were offered a sit-stand workstation by my employer, I would use it while at work | 2.3 | 4.0 | 5.0 |
I used the sit-stand workstation at consistent and regular intervals during the working day | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 |
I would welcome further advice and guidance for using the sit-stand workstation to optimise health gains | 3.3 | 4.0 | 5.0 |
I would use a sit-stand workstation while at home | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 |
“I did start off the first week of using it [the sit-stand workstation] almost all of the day” (P7)“The first day, 2 days, 3 days I used it [the sit-stand workstation] pretty much all the time” (P3).
“I did try and use it [the sit-stand workstation] at first even like every half an hour or so, or like quite often and then if I sat down I would try and use it again in half an hour or so and then it got to, oh I’ll do 5 or 10 min every hour” (P4).
“I tried sort of like to do at least an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon” (P2)“I think towards the end I tend to sit down a lot … I think it [use of the sit-stand workstation] just tailed off in the end” (P2).
“Depends what work you had on because we use files a lot and it [the sit-stand workstation] wasn’t you know very good for with files and things were you tend to sit down” (P2)“Some duties couldn’t be performed you know with the device up you know maybe like filing you know different sort of paper based work” (P5)
“I thought it [the sit-stand workstation] was a really poor design. Just the way it bounced about and the screen kept moving and cords getting in the way and all this” (P1)
“Initially we were like uh God I’m standing up everyone else is sitting down …….. some people just felt a bit self-conscious erm just because they were standing up and everyone else around them wasn’t maybe that made them feel uncomfortable (P3)“If people were coming in to see these people (colleagues in close proximity) I sat down not to be a distraction so they can concentrate on what they’re doing” (P6)
“You would see someone else pop up and use theirs so you would think, oh yeah I’ll use mine” (P4)
“After a couple of weeks you started to decline, so there was almost like a novelty effect and then people were too busy to think about standing so they just reverted to sitting.” (P1)“I got back into my old working habits of just sitting down again and then just sort of forgot that I had it and just I’d realise halfway through the afternoon that I hadn’t stood up today but I think like just back to old habits so you’re used to sitting down a lot.” (P2)
“I don’t know whether standing up and being able to see everyone more was a bit of a distraction as well but yeah I did find I couldn’t concentrate as much [when standing] and I’d need I think it’s just a natural thing to sit down and have all your things around you” (P4).
“I did feel like a bit more awake” (P2)“I think it [standing] kind of makes me more productive straight away” (P3).