Point-of-Choice Prompts to Reduce Prolonged Sitting Time at Work

Point-of-Choice Prompts to Reduce Prolonged Sitting Time at Work: A Randomised Trial

The purpose of this study is to determine whether an on-screen prompt put on the work computer every 30 minutes is effective in getting office workers to reduce prolonged periods of sitting at work.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Adult Office Workers
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: education talk and leaflet; Device: MyRestBreak 1.0

Detailed Description

Prolonged bouts of uninterrupted time spent sitting is associated with indicators of poor health, independent of how physically active a person is. Many occupations are now sedentary, and are characterised by long periods spent sitting at a desk. Brief education on the benefits of standing regularly and breaking up prolonged sitting will be provided to participants, working at a Scottish University. One intervention group will additionally have software installed on their work computer which placed a prompt window in the centre of their screen for 1 minute every 30 minutes. The prompt will remind participants to stand-up and take a break, and the window cannot be removed or minimised.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 30
• Phase: Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United Kingdom
  • Lanarkshire
    • Glasgow, Lanarkshire, United Kingdom, G4 0BA
      • School of Health & Life Sceinces, Glasgow Caledonian University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Employee of Glasgow Caledonian University
• Aged between 18 and 65 years
• Self-reported desk-based occupation
• Informed written consent provided
• Ability to stand unassisted

Exclusion Criteria:

• Any musculoskeletal condition which limits ability to stand regularly

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: education only; A short educational talk, read from a script, regarding the health risks of prolonged sitting, stating that standing every 30 minutes could be beneficial. A short information leaflet with the same message is also provided.	Behavioral: education talk and leaflet; A short educational talk, read from a script, regarding the health risks of prolonged sitting, stating that standing every 30 minutes could be beneficial. A short information leaflet stating with the same message is also provided.
Experimental: prompt + education; A short educational talk, read from a script, regarding the health risks of prolonged sitting, stating that standing every 30 minutes could be beneficial. A short information leaflet with the same message is also provided. Prompting software (MyRestBreak 1.0 copyright Vikram Sharma) will be installed on the work computer. A prompt with the message "stand up, take a break" is placed on the screen of the work computer for 1 minutes every 30 minutes, from the time the computer is switched on in the morning. The prompt is contained in a window 11x9 cm in the centre of the screen. The prompt cannot be removed or minimised, but work can continue in any windows visible around the prompt. The prompt is on the computer for 5 days.	Behavioral: education talk and leaflet; A short educational talk, read from a script, regarding the health risks of prolonged sitting, stating that standing every 30 minutes could be beneficial. A short information leaflet stating with the same message is also provided.; Device: MyRestBreak 1.0; Prompting software (MyRestBreak 1.0 copyright Vikram Sharma) will be installed on the work computer. A prompt with the message "stand up, take a break" is placed on the screen of the work computer for 1 minutes every 30 minutes, from the time the computer is switched on in the morning. The prompt is contained in a window 11x9 cm in the centre of the screen. The prompt cannot be removed or minimised, but work can continue in any windows visible around the prompt. The prompt is on the computer for 5 days.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
duration of prolonged sitting	total time spent sitting in continuous uninterrupted prolonged (>30minutes) sitting events at work	5 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
total sitting duration	total time spent sitting while at work	5 days
number of sitting events	total number of uninterrupted sitting events (of any duration) during work	5 days
step count	total number of steps taken while at work	5 days
break duration	the duration of breaks between sitting events	5 days
walking time	total time spent walking at work	5 days
standing time	total time spent standing while at work	5 days
number of prolonged sitting events	the number of continuous uninterrupted prolonged (>30minutes) sitting events during work	5 days

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Glasgow Caledonian University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Philippa M Dall, PhD, Glasgow Caledonian University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Evans RE, Fawole HO, Sheriff SA, Dall PM, Grant PM, Ryan CG. Point-of-choice prompts to reduce sitting time at work: a randomized trial. Am J Prev Med. 2012 Sep;43(3):293-7. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2012.05.010.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: March 1, 2010
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 1, 2010
• Study Completion (Actual): June 1, 2010

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 22, 2012
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 26, 2012
• First Posted (Estimate): June 27, 2012

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): June 27, 2012
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 26, 2012
• Last Verified: June 1, 2012

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: adult; sedentary behaviour; education; work; sitting; occupation; office worker; point-of-choice prompt
• Other Study ID Numbers: 200813897