Intervention Study on Break Activities and Workers´ Psychological and Physiological Health & Performance

An Intervention Study to Investigate the Effect of Different Types of Break Activities on Workers´ Psychological and Physiological Health & Job Performance

The objective of this research project is to understand and to improve workers´ recovery from work stress. Although recovery during lunch breaks is the most common within-workday break, it has received only minor research attention. Therefore, we will study whether lunch breaks including a relaxation session or exposure to nature have more favorable outcomes than usually spent lunch breaks concerning: a) recovery processes, b) health, c) well-being, d) job performance and e) creativity. We approach recovery by combining the theoretical frameworks of work and environmental psychology.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Exposure to Nature During Lunch Breaks; Relaxation Exercises During Lunch Breaks
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Relaxation during lunch break; Behavioral: Park walk during lunch break

Detailed Description

We conduct an intervention study in a sample of 200 knowledge-workers who engage in different lunch break activities for 15-minutes per day, two weeks in a row. We randomly assign participants to three experimental conditions: 1) exposure to nature, 2) relaxation and 3) control group (lunch break spent as usual). Online questionnaires before and after the intervention assess long term changes regarding recovery processes and the major outcome variables. Before, during and after the intervention, SMS and paper-pencil questionnaires measure the same constructs four times a day with fewer items. We also measure blood pressure and collect saliva samples to map cortisol excretion across the intervention period. A timed experimental task (i.e., the Alternative Uses Task) is used to examine differences in creativity between the three groups after the intervention period.

By combining the knowledge of work and environmental psychology about recovery and restorative experiences, by merging three recovery perspectives (settings, processes, and outcomes) and by using data triangulation, we produce valid results that broaden our view on mechanisms underlying recovery and enhance our understanding about their links to psychological, behavioural and physiological outcomes, resulting in a more comprehensive picture of work stress recovery in general.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 200
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Finland
  • Pirkanmaa
    • Tampere, Pirkanmaa, Finland, 33014
      • University of Tampere

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 70 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Being able to speak and understand Finnish language
• Paid work for at least 24 hours per week

Exclusion Criteria:

• Shift work, highly irregular working hours
• Serious illness or allergies that prevent participants from walking in nature

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Factorial Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control group; Participants continue their normal lunch routine.
Experimental: Relaxation exercise during lunch break; Participants perform relaxation exercises during each lunch break during work for a period of 2 working weeks.	Behavioral: Relaxation during lunch break
Experimental: Park walk during lunch break; Participants go for a walk in the closest park nearby each lunch break during work for a period of 2 working weeks.	Behavioral: Park walk during lunch break

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Well-being	Questionnaire data	7 weeks
Job performance	Questionnaire data	7 weeks
Creativity	Questionnaire data	7 weeks
Health	Questionnaire data	7 weeks
Salivary cortisol	Collection of saliva samples, 3 times per day, 2 times a week for a period of 7 weeks	7 weeks
Blood pressure	Self-administered blood pressure measurements, 3 times per day, 2 days per week for a period of 7 weeks	7 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Tampere University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Ulla Kinnunen, Prof., Tampere University; Principal Investigator: Kalevi Korpela, Prof., Tampere University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• de Bloom J, Kinnunen U, Korpela K. Exposure to nature versus relaxation during lunch breaks and recovery from work: development and design of an intervention study to improve workers' health, well-being, work performance and creativity. BMC Public Health. 2014 May 22;14:488. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-14-488.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: April 1, 2014
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 1, 2014
• Study Completion (Actual): November 1, 2014

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 24, 2014
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 24, 2014
• First Posted (Estimate): April 28, 2014

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): December 2, 2014
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 1, 2014
• Last Verified: December 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: lunch breaks, recovery, nature, park walking, relaxation
• Other Study ID Numbers: 257682SA