Perceptions of the acceptability and feasibility of reducing occupational sitting: review and thematic synthesis

Abstract

BackgroundReducing workplace sedentary behaviour (sitting) is a topic of contemporary public health and occupational health interest. Understanding workers’ perspectives on the feasibility and acceptability of strategies, and barriers and facilitators to reducing workplace sitting time, can help inform the design and implementation of targeted interventions. The aim of this qualitative synthesis was to identify and synthesise the evidence on factors perceived to influence the acceptability and feasibility of reducing sitting at work, without, and with, an associated intervention component.MethodsA systematic search of the peer-reviewed literature was conducted across multiple databases in October 2017 to identify studies with a qualitative component relating to reducing workplace sitting time. Relevant data were extracted and imported into NVivo, and analysed by three of the authors by coding the results sections of papers line-by-line, with codes organised into sub-themes and then into overarching themes. Studies with and without an associated intervention were analysed separately.ResultsThirty-two studies met the inclusion criteria, 22 of which had collected qualitative data during and/or following a workplace intervention. Sample sizes ranged from five through to 71 participants. Studies predominately involved desk-based workers (28/32) and were most frequently conducted in Australia, USA or the United Kingdom (26/32). Similar themes were identified across non-intervention and intervention studies, particularly relating to barriers and facilitators to reducing workplace sitting. Predominately, work and social environment attributes were identified as barriers/facilitators, with desk-based work and work pressures influencing the perceived feasibility of reducing sitting, particularly for low-cost interventions. Support from co-workers and managers was considered a key facilitator to reducing sitting, while social norms that discouraged movement were a prominent barrier. Across all studies, some consistent perceptions of benefits to reducing sitting were identified, including improved physical health, enhanced emotional well-being and associated work-related benefits.ConclusionCommon barriers and facilitators to reducing workplace sitting time were identified across the literature, most prominently involving the social environment and job-related demands. These findings can inform the design and implementation of workplace sitting reduction strategies. To increase the generalisability of findings, further research is needed in a more diverse range of countries and industries.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12966-018-0718-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

“Oh-oh, the others are standing up... I better do the same”. Mixed-method evaluation of the implementation process of ‘Take a Stand!’ - a cluster randomized controlled trial of a multicomponent intervention to reduce sitting time among office workers

“…Together, the findings of the present study are in line with findings from other evaluations of sitting time interventions, and highlight the importance of an organizational perspective (e.g. [11]): This implies that sitting time interventions should address the organizational context from intervention development, through to the implementation process in order to ensure the best possible effect on sitting time. This could be obtained by: a proper fit between intervention and the present conditions of the workplace; adequate matching of expectations towards ambassadors and between participants; addressing social norms about sitting and intervention activities; and sustained levels of management and social support.…”

“…Participants consistently emphasized the role of the managers, which is in line with several other studies of other occupational health interventions [8,23] and sitting time interventions specifically [21,24,25]. In their review, Hadgraft et al [11] found support from managers in the form of approval of intervention activities and leading by example to be key facilitators in reducing workplace sitting, and this has been further supported by more recent studies [26].…”

“…Several of these barriers have also been mentioned by others (e.g. a review of 32 studies identified that a significant barrier is social norms and normative beliefs about sitting [11]), confirming the importance of support from all levels.…”

“…As discussed above, several promoters were identified in other studies also (e.g. [11,34]). We identified several barriers towards intervention implementation and effect across the three levels: concurrent changes at the office; being coerced to participate; lack of information about the intervention at initiation; lack of support and reminders from ambassadors, managers and co-workers; lack of motivation (both sustained and retained); and negative influence from non-participants.…”

A multi-component intervention to sit less and move more in a contact centre setting: a feasibility study

“…Seeing agents use a height-adjustable workstation in the standing position was a prominent trigger for agents to work in a standing position. Equally, low participant numbers meant that agents were often situated in teams of mainly desk-based agents, and similar to findings in traditional office workers [73,74] and call agents [75], social pressure to conform to seated work appeared to negatively influence agent's motivation to use the height-adjustable workstation in the standing position. Refining the recruitment strategy to increase agent participation and locate participants more proximally to one another appears important for increasing interpersonal support to use height-adjustable workstations in the standing position [33].…”