Patterns of Impact Resulting from a ‘Sit Less, Move More’ Web-Based Program in Sedentary Office Employees

Abstract

PurposeEncouraging office workers to ‘sit less and move more’ encompasses two public health priorities. However, there is little evidence on the effectiveness of workplace interventions for reducing sitting, even less about the longer term effects of such interventions and still less on dual-focused interventions. This study assessed the short and mid-term impacts of a workplace web-based intervention (Walk@WorkSpain, W@WS; 2010-11) on self-reported sitting time, step counts and physical risk factors (waist circumference, BMI, blood pressure) for chronic disease.MethodsEmployees at six Spanish university campuses (n=264; 42±10 years; 171 female) were randomly assigned by worksite and campus to an Intervention (used W@WS; n=129; 87 female) or a Comparison group (maintained normal behavior; n=135; 84 female). This phased, 19-week program aimed to decrease occupational sitting time through increased incidental movement and short walks. A linear mixed model assessed changes in outcome measures between the baseline, ramping (8 weeks), maintenance (11 weeks) and follow-up (two months) phases for Intervention versus Comparison groups.ResultsA significant 2 (group) × 2 (program phases) interaction was found for self-reported occupational sitting (F[3]=7.97, p=0.046), daily step counts (F[3]=15.68, p=0.0013) and waist circumference (F[3]=11.67, p=0.0086). The Intervention group decreased minutes of daily occupational sitting while also increasing step counts from baseline (446±126; 8,862±2,475) through ramping (+425±120; 9,345±2,435), maintenance (+422±123; 9,638±3,131) and follow-up (+414±129; 9,786±3,205). In the Comparison group, compared to baseline (404±106), sitting time remained unchanged through ramping and maintenance, but decreased at follow-up (-388±120), while step counts diminished across all phases. The Intervention group significantly reduced waist circumference by 2.1cms from baseline to follow-up while the Comparison group reduced waist circumference by 1.3cms over the same period.ConclusionsW@WS is a feasible and effective evidence-based intervention that can be successfully deployed with sedentary employees to elicit sustained changes on “sitting less and moving more”.

A systematic review and meta‐analysis of workplace intervention strategies to reduce sedentary time in white‐collar workers

“…The results of quality assessment are summarized in Table . Two studies were rated to be of ‘high quality’ , 10 of ‘good’ and 14 of ‘fair’ methodological quality . Main factors that affected the methodological quality included inadequate descriptions of group allocation, incomparable groups at baseline, final analysis not adjusted for baseline sedentary behaviour and outcome assessment not independent and blinded.…”

Impact of a workplace ‘sit less, move more’ program on efficiency-related outcomes of office employees

“…The present study is a secondary outcome of the original study [17], which builds on these findings and addresses limitations in the current evidence base. Specifically, we aim to evaluate the effectiveness of the W@WS program in relation to psychosocial outcomes for presenteeism and mental well-being in Spanish sedentary office employees.…”

Physical activity and sedentary behaviour in a flexible office‐based workplace: Employee perceptions and priorities for change

“…It may also be due to a focus on recreational physical activity by this participant group, rather than incidental movement in the workplace. Incidental movement in the workplace, such as taking the stairs and walking to talk with colleagues, can contribute to energy expenditure and therefore employee health and wellbeing …”

“…Incidental movement in the workplace, such as taking the stairs and walking to talk with colleagues, can contribute to energy expenditure and therefore employee health and wellbeing. 29 However, employees did report that occupational sitting time had been negatively impacted by flexible work. This was primarily due to an increase in electronic communication to account for the disbursement of work locations (office, home).…”