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"Thinking on your feet": A qualitative evaluation of sit-stand desks in an Australian workplace.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Epidemiological research has established sitting as a new risk factor for the development of non-communicable chronic disease. Sit-stand desks have been proposed as one strategy to reduce occupational sedentary time. This formative research study evaluated the acceptability and usability of manually and electrically operated sit-stand desks in a medium-sized government organisation located in Sydney, Australia. METHODS: Sitting time pre- and three months post -installation of the sit-stand desks was measured using validated self-report measures. Additionally, three group interviews and one key-informant interview were conducted with staff regarding perceptions about ease of, and barriers to, use and satisfaction with the sit-stand desks. All interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed for themes regarding usability and acceptability. RESULTS: Of 31 staff, 18 completed baseline questionnaires, and 13 completed follow-up questionnaires. The median proportion of sitting time for work was 85% (range 50%-95%) at baseline and 60% (range 10%-95%) at follow-up. Formal statistical testing of paired data (n=11) showed that the change from baseline to follow-up in time spent sitting (mean change=1.7 hours, p=.014) was statistically significant. From the qualitative data, reasons given for initiating use of the desks in the standing position were the potential health benefits, or a willingness to experiment or through external prompting. Factors influencing continued use included: concern for, and experience of, short and long term health impacts; perceived productivity whilst sitting and standing; practical accommodation of transitions between sitting and standing; electric or manual operation height adjustment. Several trajectories in patterns of initiation and continued use were identified that centered on the source and timing of commitment to using the desk in the standing position. CONCLUSIONS: Sit-stand desks had high usability and acceptability and reduced sitting time at work. Use could be promoted by emphasizing the health benefits, providing guidance on appropriate set-up and normalizing standing for work-related tasks.

SUBMITTER: Grunseit AC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3643835 | biostudies-other | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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"Thinking on your feet": A qualitative evaluation of sit-stand desks in an Australian workplace.

Grunseit Anne Carolyn AC Chau Josephine Yuk-Yin JY van der Ploeg Hidde Pieter HP Bauman Adrian A

BMC public health 20130418

<h4>Background</h4>Epidemiological research has established sitting as a new risk factor for the development of non-communicable chronic disease. Sit-stand desks have been proposed as one strategy to reduce occupational sedentary time. This formative research study evaluated the acceptability and usability of manually and electrically operated sit-stand desks in a medium-sized government organisation located in Sydney, Australia.<h4>Methods</h4>Sitting time pre- and three months post -installati ...[more]

PMID: 23597291

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Project description:BackgroundMany workplaces have implemented sit-stand workstations (SSW), which enable a worker to transition between sitting and standing as they perform their work activities. The factors which determine the initial adoption, sustainability or cessation of use for a SSW, remain largely unexamined. This study investigates the experiences of workers who had previously used or were currently using a SSW.MethodsThe study setting was within an Australian university. Participants who were current or past SSW users, as well as workplace key informants, were interviewed for the study. All interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed. Transcripts were coded by two researchers for concepts and themes regarding uptake and sustainability of SSW. Discussion and validation of themes was undertaken by the team of three researchers.ResultsA total of 24 interviews were conducted. Twenty-two interviews were with ceased and current users (16 current and six ceased users) and two interviews were with workplace key informants. Analysis of the interviews with current and ceased users identified three main themes: Personal considerations for use/sustainability; Posture; and Usability. Analysis of the interviews with key informants identified two themes: Considerations and concerns and Policies and procedures. Little information was provided to workers when first using a SSW. Workers who were able to adopt their working style to the new workstations were able to sustain ongoing use of a SSW. Key informants were concerned that employees believed using a SSW would provide a health benefit in its own right without an understanding of the possible risks that might be associated with use.ConclusionsSustainable usage of this type of SSW is achievable, however, it requires some element of adaptation at the individual worker level. Participants spoke about how the use of the SSW in a standing position was typically associated with the time of day, specific task selection and musculoskeletal comfort or fatigue factors. The provision of education to new SSW users with relevant supporting information by a subject matter expert should enable the worker to obtain a more holistic understanding of the safety and health risks and benefits embedded in the use of a SSW.

Project description:BackgroundSit-stand desk interventions have the potential to reduce workplace sedentary behaviour and improve employee health. However, the extent of sit-stand desk use varies between employees and in different organisational contexts. Framed by organisational cultural theory and product design theory, this study examined employees' lived experience of taking part in a workplace sit-stand desk intervention, to understand the processes influencing feasibility and acceptability.MethodsParticipant observations and qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 employees from two office-based workplaces in the UK, as part of a process evaluation that ran alongside a pilot RCT of a workplace sit-stand desk intervention. Observational field notes and transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis.ResultsThree themes related to the experience of using a sit-stand desk at work were generated: employees' relationship with their sit-stand desk; aspirations and outcomes related to employee health and productivity; and cultural norms and interpersonal relationships. The perceived usability of the desk varied depending on how employees interacted with the desk within their personal and organisational context. Employees reported that the perceived influence of the desk on their productivity levels shaped use of the desk; those who perceived that standing increased energy and alertness tended to stand more often. Sit-stand desks were voiced as being more acceptable than intervention strategies that involve leaving the desk, as productivity was conflated with being at the desk.ConclusionsThe findings indicate a range of organisational, social-cultural and individual-level factors that shape the feasibility and acceptability of sit-stand desk use, and suggest strategies for improving employees' experiences of using a sit-stand desk at work, which might positively influence sedentary behaviour reduction and health.Trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT02172599, 22nd June 2014 (prospectively registered).

Project description: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-stand workstation on sitting time, and vascular, metabolic and musculoskeletal outcomes in office workers, and to investigate workstation acceptability and feasibility.A two-arm, parallel-group, individually randomised 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-stand 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 questionnaire and interview. ANCOVA and magnitude-based inferences examined intervention effects relative to controls at 4 and 8 weeks. Participants and researchers were not blind to group allocation.Forty-seven participants were randomised (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 standing 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.Short-term use of a feasible sit-stand 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-stand workstations continued over a longer duration, sit-stand workstations may have important ramifications for the prevention and reduction of cardiometabolic risk in a large proportion of the working population.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02496507 .

Project description:BackgroundFunctional evaluation of sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit activities is often used by physiotherapists in patients with neurological and musculoskeletal disorders. The observation of the way these activities are executed is essential in identifying kinesiological problems. There are different methodologies used to describe the stand-to-sit activity and its evaluation is not yet standardized, which makes the practical application of resources on clinical observation difficult. The objective of this study is to automate the decision making process of an evaluation protocol, developed in previous study, and facilitate its utilization by professionals in the area.MethodsA decision-making system has been implemented through a computational tool, more specifically an Expert System that due its inherent characteristics emulates the decision-making process of a human expert in the domain area. A Shell called Expert Sinta was used to develop two knowledge bases, i.e. two expert systems, one for the anterior view and another for the lateral view of stand-to-sit activity. Variables, values, associated rules and confidence factors, objectives, and additional information questions were defined by the expert of domain and once implemented each expert system generates a number of questions to its user. These questions serve as a guide to physiotherapists and support the standardization of the activity evaluation. The developed systems were evaluated by physiotherapists through the application of a questionnaire that evaluates the knowledge base and the usability of the system. The physiotherapists' answers were then evaluated through statistical estimation and percentage analysis.ResultsWhen asked about the systems' "utility for clinical practice of the physiotherapist", 67% of evaluators answered positively. An interesting finding was that most physiotherapists (i.e. 92%) considered that the systems are suitable for educational purposes, which was not the main objective of this study.ConclusionsThe developed expert systems can support the physiotherapist in evaluating stand-to-sit activity through a conclusion suggestion about the "level of inadequacy" for the "degree of inadequacy" searched during its execution. Results of experts' evaluation analyzed through statistical methods indicate that the automation of protocols contributed to the standardization of the evaluation of stand-to-sit activity and that it has application for teaching purposes.

Project description:Interactive sonification of biomechanical quantities is gaining relevance as a motor learning aid in movement rehabilitation, as well as a monitoring tool. However, existing gaps in sonification research (issues related to meaning, aesthetics, and clinical effects) have prevented its widespread recognition and adoption in such applications. The incorporation of embodied principles and musical structures in sonification design has gradually become popular, particularly in applications related to human movement. In this study, we propose a general sonification model for the sit-to-stand (STS) transfer, an important activity of daily living. The model contains a fixed component independent of the use-case, which represents the rising motion of the body as an ascending melody using the physical model of a flute. In addition, a flexible component concurrently sonifies STS features of clinical interest in a particular rehabilitative/monitoring situation. Here, we chose to represent shank angular jerk and movement stoppages (freezes), through perceptually salient pitch modulations and bell sounds. We outline the details of our technical implementation of the model. We evaluated the model by means of a listening test experiment with 25 healthy participants, who were asked to identify six normal and simulated impaired STS patterns from sonified versions containing various combinations of the constituent mappings of the model. Overall, we found that the participants were able to classify the patterns accurately (86.67 ± 14.69% correct responses with the full model, 71.56% overall), confidently (64.95 ± 16.52% self-reported rating), and in a timely manner (response time: 4.28 ± 1.52 s). The amount of sonified kinematic information significantly impacted classification accuracy. The six STS patterns were also classified with significantly different accuracy depending on their kinematic characteristics. Learning effects were seen in the form of increased accuracy and confidence with repeated exposure to the sound sequences. We found no significant accuracy differences based on the participants' level of music training. Overall, we see our model as a concrete conceptual and technical starting point for STS sonification design catering to rehabilitative and clinical monitoring applications.

Dataset Information

"Thinking on your feet": A qualitative evaluation of sit-stand desks in an Australian workplace.

Publications

"Thinking on your feet": A qualitative evaluation of sit-stand desks in an Australian workplace.

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