Breaking up workplace sitting time with intermittent standing bouts improves fatigue and musculoskeletal discomfort in overweight/obese office workers Comparisons of Musculoskeletal Complaints and Data Entry Between a Sitting and a Sit-Stand Workstation Paradigm Office ergonomics training and a sit-stand workstation: effects on musculoskeletal and visual symptoms and performance of office workers. Evaluation of sit-stand workstations in an office setting: a randomised controlled trial Medium-term effects of a two-desk sit/stand workstation on cognitive performance and workload for healthy people performing sedentary work: a secondary analysis of a randomised controlled trial A randomised control trial of the cognitive effects of working in a seated as opposed to a standing position in office workers Desk-based workers’ perspectives on using sit-stand workstations: a qualitative analysis of the Stand@Work study Using Point-of-Choice Prompts to Reduce Sedentary Behavior in Sit-Stand Workstation Users
Objectives To examine whether the introduction of intermittent st and ing bouts during the workday using a height-adjustable workstation can improve subjective levels of fatigue , musculoskeletal discomfort and work productivity relative to seated work . Methods Overweight/obese office workers ( n=23 ; age 48.2±7.9 years , body mass index 29.6±4 kg/m2 ) undertook two , 5-day experimental conditions in an equal , r and omised ( 1:1 ) order . In a simulated office environment , participants performed their usual occupational tasks for 8 h/day in a : seated work posture ( SIT condition ) ; or interchanging between a st and ing and seated work posture every 30 min using an electric , height-adjustable workstation ( ST AND -SIT condition ) . Self-administered question naires measuring fatigue , musculoskeletal discomfort and work productivity were performed on day 5 of each experimental condition . Results Participants ’ total fatigue score was significantly higher during the SIT condition ( mean 67.8 ( 95 % CI 58.8 to 76.7 ) ) compared with the ST AND -SIT condition ( 52.7 ( 43.8 to 61.5 ) ; p<0.001 ) . Lower back musculoskeletal discomfort was significantly reduced during the ST AND -SIT condition compared with the SIT condition ( 31.8 % reduction ; p=0.03 ) . Despite concentration/focus being significantly higher during the SIT condition ( p=0.006 ) , there was a trend towards improved overall work productivity in favour of the ST AND -SIT condition ( p=0.053 ) . Conclusions Transitioning from a seated to a st and ing work posture every 30 min across the workday , relative to seated work , led to a significant reduction in fatigue levels and lower back discomfort in overweight/obese office workers , while maintaining work productivity . Future investigations should be directed at underst and ing whether sustained use of height-adjustable workstations promote concentration and productivity at work . Trial Registration Number ACTRN12611000632998 Background : Seated working positions are often regarded as a cause for discomfort in the musculoskeletal system . Performing work in different working positions — that is , alternating between sitting and st and ing ( sit-st and workstation paradigm)—could help reduce physical complaints . Objective : The questions were whether performing office work partly in a st and ing position leads to reduced complaints and whether st and ing would change the efficiency of data entry office work . Method : We investigated the effect of a sit-st and workstation paradigmd during experimental data entry office work on physical and psychological complaints and data entry efficiency by conducting a r and omized controlled trial with 60 male participants ages 18 to 35 years . Results : In this experiment , musculoskeletal complaints were reduced by a sit-st and workstation paradigm . A trend could be identified indicating a small but nonsignificant loss of efficiency in data entry while st and ing . Conclusion : A sit-st and workstation paradigm reduces musculoskeletal complaints without considerably affecting data entry efficiency under the presented study conditions ( young male participants , short duration , fixed and controlled sit-st and workstation paradigm , simulated experimental working condition ) . Application : According to the present data , implementing a sit-st and workstation paradigm can be an effective workplace health intervention to reduce musculoskeletal complaints . This experiment encourages further studies on the effectiveness of a sit-st and workstation paradigm . Experimental research and field studies that prove the reduction of complaints when introducing a sit-st and workstation paradigm in the workplace could be the basis for evidence -based recommendations regarding such interventions Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders ( WMSDs ) among office workers with intensive computer use is widespread and the prevalence of symptoms is growing . This r and omized controlled trial investigated the effects of an office ergonomics training combined with a sit-st and workstation on musculoskeletal and visual discomfort , behaviors and performance .  Participants performed a lab-based customer service job for 8 h per day , over 15 days and were assigned to :  Ergonomics Trained ( n = 11 ) or Minimally Trained ( n = 11 ) . The training consisted of : a 1.5-h interactive instruction , a sit/st and practice period , and ergonomic reminders . Ergonomics Trained participants experienced minimal musculoskeletal and visual discomfort across the 15 days , varied their postures , with significantly higher performance compared to the Minimally Trained group who had a significantly higher number of symptoms , suggesting that training plays a critical role . The ability to mitigate symptoms , change behaviors and enhance performance through training combined with a sit-st and workstation has implication s for preventing discomforts in office workers Background Excessive sitting time is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease mortality and morbidity independent of physical activity . This aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a sit-st and workstation on sitting time , and vascular , metabolic and musculoskeletal outcomes in office workers , and to investigate workstation acceptability and feasibility . Methods A two-arm , parallel-group , individually r and omised controlled trial was conducted in one organisation . Participants were asymptomatic full-time office workers aged ≥18 years . Each participant in the intervention arm had a sit-st and workstation installed on their workplace desk for 8 weeks . Participants in the control arm received no intervention . The primary outcome was workplace sitting time , assessed at 0 , 4 and 8 weeks by an ecological momentary assessment diary . Secondary behavioural , cardiometabolic and musculoskeletal outcomes were assessed . Acceptability and feasibility were assessed via question naire and interview . ANCOVA and magnitude-based inferences examined intervention effects relative to controls at 4 and 8 weeks . Participants and research ers were not blind to group allocation . Results Forty-seven participants were r and omised ( intervention n = 26 ; control n = 21 ) . Relative to the control group at 8 weeks , the intervention group had a beneficial decrease in sitting time ( −80.2 min/8-h workday ( 95 % CI = −129.0 , −31.4 ) ; p = 0.002 ) , increase in st and ing time ( 72.9 min/8-h workday ( 21.2 , 124.6 ) ; p = 0.007 ) and decrease in total cholesterol ( −0.40 mmol/L ( −0.79 , −0.003 ) ; p = 0.049 ) . No harmful changes in musculoskeletal discomfort/pain were observed relative to controls , and beneficial changes in flow-mediated dilation and diastolic blood pressure were observed . Most participants self-reported that the workstation was easy to use and their work-related productivity did not decrease when using the device . Factors that negatively influenced workstation use were workstation design , the social environment , work tasks and habits . ConclusionS hort-term use of a feasible sit-st and workstation reduced daily sitting time and led to beneficial improvements in cardiometabolic risk parameters in asymptomatic office workers . These findings imply that if the observed use of the sit-st and workstations continued over a longer duration , sit-st and workstations may have important ramifications for the prevention and reduction of cardiometabolic risk in a large proportion of the working population .Trial registration Clinical Trials.gov NCT02496507 Abstract Implementing sit/st and workstations in sedentary work environments is a common way to reduce sedentary time , but their medium-term effect on cognitive performance is unclear . To address this circumstance , eighteen office workers participated in a two-arm , r and omised controlled cross-over trial ( Clinical Trials.gov Identifier : NCT02825303 ) , either working at a traditional ( sit ) or an interventional ( sit/st and ) workplace for 23 weeks . Cognitive performance ( working speed , reaction time , concentration performance , accuracy ) , workload and relevant covariates ( salivary cortisol level , heart rate , physical activity , sitting time ) were measured pre- and post-intervention under laboratory conditions . MANOVA and RMANOVA results did not show differences in performance parameters and workload , respectively , between sit/st and and traditional workplace users . Differences in text editing accuracy and cortisol levels for sit/st and workstation users indicate potential connectivity to cognitive parameters which should be further examined with large-scale studies . Practitioner summary : Medium-term effects of working at sit/st and workstations on cognitive performance and workload are unexplored . This r and omised controlled trial suggests that cognitive performance and workload are unaffected for sit/st and workstation users after 23 weeks of use . However , accuracy appeared to improve and physiological stress appeared to be altered . Abbreviations : BMI : body mass index ; IPAQ : International physical activity question naire ; MET : metabolic equivalent of task ; MANOVA : multivariate ANOVA ; NASA TLX : NASA task load index ; RMANOVA : repeated measures ANOVA GRAPHICAL Abstract Sedentary behaviour is increasing and has been identified as a potential significant health risk , particularly for desk-based employees . The development of sit-st and workstations in the workplace is one approach to reduce sedentary behaviour . However , there is uncertainty about the effects of sit-st and workstations on cognitive functioning .  A sample of 36 university staff participated in a within-subjects r and omised control trial examining the effect of sitting vs. st and ing for one hour per day for five consecutive days on attention , information processing speed , short-term memory , working memory and task efficiency . The results of the study showed no statistically significant difference in cognitive performance or work efficiency between the sitting and st and ing conditions , with all effect sizes being small to very small ( all ds < .2 ) . This result suggests that the use of sit-st and workstations is not associated with a reduction in cognitive performance . Practitioner Summary : Although it has been reported that the use of sit-st and desks may help offset adverse health effects of prolonged sitting , there is scant evidence about changes in productivity . This r and omised control study showed that there was no difference between sitting and st and ing for one hour on cognitive function or task efficiency in university staff Background Prolonged sitting time has been identified as a health risk factor . Sit-st and workstations allow desk workers to alternate between sitting and st and ing throughout the working day , but not much is known about their acceptability and feasibility . Hence , the aim of this study was to qualitatively evaluate the acceptability , feasibility and perceptions of using sit-st and workstations in a group of desk-based office workers . Methods This article describes the qualitative evaluation of the r and omized controlled cross-over St and @Work pilot trial . Participants were adult employees recruited from a non-government health agency in Sydney , Australia . The intervention involved using an Ergotron Workfit S sit-st and workstation for four weeks . After the four week intervention , participants shared their perceptions and experiences of using the sit-st and workstation in focus group interviews with 4–5 participants . Topics covered in the focus groups included patterns of workstation use , barriers and facilitators to st and ing while working , effects on work performance , physical impacts , and feasibility in the office . Focus group field notes and transcripts were analysed in an iterative process during and after the data collection period to identify the main concepts and themes . Results During nine 45-min focus groups , a total of 42 participants were interviewed . Participants were largely intrinsically motivated to try the sit-st and workstation , mostly because of curiosity to try something new , interest in potential health benefits , and the relevance to the participant ’s own and organisation ’s work . Most participants used the sit-st and workstation and three common usage patterns were identified : task-based routine , time-based routine , and no particular routine . Common barriers to sit-st and workstation use were working in an open plan office , and issues with sit-st and workstation design . Common facilitators of sit-st and workstation use were a supportive work environment conducive to st and ing , perceived physical health benefits , and perceived work benefits . When prompted , most participants indicated they were interested in using a sit-st and workstation in the future . Conclusions The use of a sit-st and workstation in this group of desk-based office workers was generally perceived as acceptable and feasible . Future studies are needed to explore this in different desk-based work population s and setting Introduction : Desk-based office workers are at occupational risk for poor health outcomes from excessive time spent sitting . Sit-st and workstations are used to mitigate sitting , but lack of workstation usage has been observed . Point-of-choice ( PoC ) prompts offer a complementary strategy for office workers to break up their sitting time . Study purpose : The purpose of this study was to examine the preliminary efficacy , preference , and acceptability of a theory-driven ( i.e. , 40 unique prompts encompassing social cognitive theory ; TD-PoC ) and an atheoretical basic reminder PoC prompt intervention ( R-PoC ) on reducing sedentary behavior in office workers with self-reported low sit-st and workstation usage ( ≤4 h per day ) . Methods : In a cross-over design , participants ( N = 19 , 78.9 % female , 39.4 ± 10.7 years of age ) completed a 5-days no-prompt control condition followed by a r and om and counterbalanced assignment to one of the TD-PoC and R-PoC active conditions with a 1-week washout period between . Preliminary efficacy was assessed during work hours with the activPAL micro accelerometer . Preference was assessed prior to each active condition and acceptability was assessed following each active condition via question naire . Results : The R-PoC prompt condition significantly decreased sitting time ( b[se ] = −49.0 [ 20.8 ] , p = 0.03 ) and increased st and ing time ( b[se ] = 49.8 [ 19.7 ] , p = 0.02 ) and displayed a significant increase in sit-st and transitions ( b[se ] = 2.3 [ 1.1 ] , p = 0.04 ) , relative to no-prompt control . Both the R-PoC and TD-PoC prompt conditions significantly decreased time spent in prolonged sitting bouts at b[se ] = −68.1 [ 27.8 ] , ( p = 0.02 ) , ( b[se ] = −76.7 [ 27.1 ] , p = 0.008 ) relative to no-prompt control . Overall , the TD-PoC prompt condition displayed higher preference and acceptability ratings ; however , these differences were not significant ( p 's > 0.05 ) . Conclusion : While the R-PoC prompt condition was slightly more efficacious than the TD-PoC prompt condition , the TD-PoC prompt condition was rated with higher preference and acceptability scores . Large variations between participants in preference , acceptability , and intervention feedback may indicate need for tailored messaging which may facilitate sustained use in the long-term
Conclusion : sit-st and workstations may reduce low back pain  among workers .
Practitioner Summary : In a sedentary population , changing posture may reduce the chance of developing low back pain .
Abstract Background : Sit-st and workstations are proposed solutions to reduce sedentary time at work .
Numerous companies are using them to mitigate health concerns such as musculoskeletal discomfort .
Objective : To review the literature on sit-st and workstations and low back discomfort .