Effects of Installing Height-adjustable Workstations on Office Workers Workplace Sitting Time and Productivity

Workplace Inactivity Clinical Trial

Official title:

Effects of Installing Height-adjustable Workstations on Occupational Sitting Time and Workplace Productivity in Desk-based Workers

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT02932787
• Other study ID #: SHU-AWS-RCT
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: December 2013
• Est. completion date: November 2015

Study information

• Verified date: April 2020
• Source: Sheffield Hallam University
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial 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.

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.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 31
• Est. completion date: November 2015
• Est. primary completion date: November 2015
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years to 65 Years

Eligibility

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:

-

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Workplace Inactivity

Intervention

Device:
• Height-adjustable workstation

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
n/a

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Sheffield Hallam University

References & Publications (4)

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. — View 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. — View 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. Review. — View 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. Review. Erratum in: Diabetologia. 2013 Apr;56(4):942-3. — View Citation

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Change in Workplace Sedentary Time	The amount of time a participant spends sitting whilst in the workplace (minutes). This was measured using a thigh-worn ActivPAL accelerometer.	Baseline (0 weeks), 4 weeks after installation of height-adjustable workstations
Secondary	Change in Workplace Absenteeism Using the World Health Organisation Health and Work Performance Questionnaire	Self-reported absolute absenteeism (the amount of time a participant was absent from work for during the previous 7-days) measured using the World Health Organisation Health and Work Performance Questionnaire. This is calculated in relation to a participants contracted hours, therefore a negative score shows that a participant worked less than they are contracted to, where as a positive score means a participant reported working more hours than they are contracted to.	Baseline (0 weeks), 4 weeks after installation of height-adjustable workstations
Secondary	Change in Workplace Presenteeism Using the World Health Organisation Health and Work Performance Questionnaire	Self-reported absolute presenteeism (an employees productivity during working hours) measured using the World Health Organisation Health and Work Performance Questionnaire. The higher the percentage, the more productive a participant felt they were. 100% means that they felt they were productive the whole time they were working. Presenteeism can be impacted upon by illness and other health conditions, if a person was feeling ill or had a back problem, this may mean that they are less productive whilst at work.	Baseline (0 weeks), 4 weeks after installation of height-adjustable workstations