A Pilot Study of Increasing Nonpurposeful Movement Breaks at Work as a Means of Reducing Prolonged Sitting

Abstract

There is a plethora of workplace physical activity interventions designed to increase purposeful movement, yet few are designed to alleviate prolonged occupational sitting time. A pilot study was conducted to test the feasibility of a workplace e-health intervention based on a passive approach to increase nonpurposeful movement as a means of reducing sitting time. The study was trialled in a professional workplace with forty-six participants (33 females and 13 males) for a period of twenty-six weeks. Participants in the first thirteen weeks received a passive prompt every 45 minutes on their computer screen reminding them to stand and engage in nonpurposeful activity throughout their workday. After thirteen weeks, the prompt was disabled, and participants were then free to voluntary engage the software. Results demonstrated that when employees were exposed to a passive prompt, as opposed to an active prompt, they were five times more likely to fully adhere to completing a movement break every hour of the workday. Based on this pilot study, we suggest that the notion that people are willing to participate in a coercive workplace e-health intervention is promising, and there is a need for further investigation.

Sit less, stand more: A randomized point-of-decision prompt intervention to reduce sedentary time

“…Thus, these findings suggest that frequent reminders and/or permission to stand results in more people choosing to do so. These results also support recent studies reporting that PODPs are successful in reducing sedentary behaviour in the workplace setting (Evans et al, 2012;Cooley & Pedersen, 2013).…”

“…Additionally, PODPs are simple, cost-effective interventions that provide an equitable population-based impact (Wu et al, 2011). PODPs have also been used with positive results in encouraging desk-based workers to stand throughout the day to break up sedentary behaviour (Evans et al, 2012;Cooley & Pedersen, 2013). However, results on the effects of PODPs on sedentary behaviour outside of the workplace remain sparse and require further investigation.…”

Total and domain-specific sitting time among employees in desk-based work settings in Australia

“…These studies have provided some promising evidence of the short-term (e.g. 4-12 weeks) effectiveness for reducing occupational sitting by providing workers with sit-tostand work desks, 36-38 a combined approach of installing sit-to-stand work desks and providing support at a management/ organisational level, 37 or specifically designed computer prompting software to reduce workplace sitting. 39,40 However, at present, the long-term effectiveness in reducing sitting time and the effects on health outcomes of such interventions remains unknown.…”

The sedentary office: an expert statement on the growing case for change towards better health and productivity

“…These studies should include assessing the impact of creating ‘movement-friendly’ spaces for both purposeful and non-purposeful movement,65 including: computer-based prompts, alarmed or vibrating personal motion assessment devices, placement of toilets, kitchens, meeting places on different floors, stair use promotions, standing meetings and messages delivered in person verbally or by hand. Much of the current evidence is based on epidemiological data, with proposed mechanisms measured from shorter term bouts of standing or light activity often performed within highly controlled settings.…”