Workstation Pilot Study

WorkStation Pilot Study

This is a pilot study to assess the feasibility of using treadmill desks (Workstations) within a Louisiana office workplace and to determine the effects of walking while working in overweight or obese, sedentary individuals.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Obesity; Sedentary Lifestyle
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Usual Working Condition; Behavioral: WorkStation

Detailed Description

Eligible participants will be randomized by chance to the WorkStation Intervention Group or to a Usual Working Condition Group.

The WorkStation Intervention Group will be asked to walk for up to 1.5 hours per day during the work week of Monday through Friday on the treadmill. Participants will complete two sessions per day for up to 45 minutes per session, tracking time and speed.

Usual Working Condition Group will be asked to continue working in usual environment and accustomed manner.

Regardless of which group the participants are assigned to, the participants will be asked to complete baseline and follow up assessment visits. Months 3 and 6 for approximately 1 hour for Body measurements (height, weight and waist circumference), body fat percent, gait speed, questionnaires, and accelerometry.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 41
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Louisiana
    • Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States, 70808
      • Pennington Biomedical Research Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Males or females
• BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2
• Willing to give informed consent
• Willing to accept randomization to group assignment and willing to follow the protocol for the group to which they have been assigned
• Willing to maintain fulltime employment at the company for the next 6 months
• Willing to receive frequent contacts and communication from study staff over the next 6 months

Exclusion Criteria:

• Current participation in other Pennington Biomedical research studies
• BMI < 25 kg/m2
• Type 1 diabetes
• Average step count of ≥ 7,500 steps/day
• Self-reporting exercising > 20 minutes on 3 or more days/wk, within the past 6 months
• Unable to walk 45 minutes continuously without taking a rest
• Unable to walk without the use of an assistive device, such as a cane or walker
• Have had a cardiovascular event (stroke or heart attack) in the past 6 months
• Have a pacemaker or any other internal electrical medical device
• Have been diagnosed with Schizophrenia or bipolar disorder
• Have any condition that would limit participation in a physical activity program
• Women who are pregnant, have been pregnant in the last 6 months, or are breastfeeding
• Actively participating in a weight loss program
• Plan to move out of the study area within the next 6 months or plan to be away from work for more than 4 weeks in the next 6 months
• Have another member of household participating in the study
• Have any condition, which, in the opinion of the investigator would impede competence or compliance or possibly hinder completion of the study

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Placebo Comparator: Usual Working Condition Group; Participants assigned to the usual working condition control group will continue to work in their usual environment and accustomed manner. The control group participants will have access to the Workstations at the completion of study.	Behavioral: Usual Working Condition; Participants will be asked to continue working at their desk in their usual manner.
Active Comparator: WorkStation Intervention Group; Participants will be asked to walk for up to 1.5 hours per day on the treadmill. This will be split into two 45 minute sessions per day. Behavioral support will focus on adherence to frequency (attending scheduled sessions). Participants self-select speed of walking and time (they have up to 45 minutes allotted, but may choose less as they like).	Behavioral: WorkStation; Participants will be asked to attend 2 scheduled sessions per day of treadmill walking, which will replace their sitting desk time. Participants will complete 2 sessions per day for 6 months.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Waist	Waist circumference will decrease in workers assigned to the WorkStation working condition relative to the usual working condition.	6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Weight Assessments	Weight will improve in workers assigned to the WorkStation Group relative to the Usual Working Condition Group.	6 months
Body Fat Percent	Body fat percent will improve in workers assigned to the WorkStation Group relative to the Usual Working Condition Group.	6 months
Accelerometry	Participants' activity level measured by the accelerometer will increase in workers assigned to the WorkStation Group relative to the Usual Working Condition Group.	6 months
Gait Speed	Participants' gait speed will improve in workers assigned to the WorkStation Group relative to the Usual Working Condition Group.	6 months
Stress	Participants' stress level will decrease in workers assigned to the WorkStation Group relative to the Usual Working Condition Group.	6 months
Fatigue	Participants' fatigue level will decrease in workers assigned to the WorkStation Group relative to the Usual Working Condition Group.	6 months
Quality of life Questionnaire	Participants' quality of life will improve in workers assigned to the WorkStation Group relative to the Usual Working Condition Group.	6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Pennington Biomedical Research Center
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Catrine Tudor-Locke, PhD, Principal Investigator

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: August 1, 2012
• Primary Completion (Actual): February 1, 2013
• Study Completion (Actual): February 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 25, 2012
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 25, 2012
• First Posted (Estimate): April 27, 2012

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): September 15, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 13, 2022
• Last Verified: September 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: physical activity; walking; sedentary behavior; workplace
• Other Study ID Numbers: PBRC 12015