Reducing Sedentary Behaviour in Office Workers

April 1, 2020 updated by: University of Applied Sciences for Health Professions Upper Austria

"Sit - Stand - Be Fit" - Influence of Sit/Stand Workstations on Sedentary Behaviour and the Prevalence and Intensity of Musculoskeletal Diseases in Office Workers of an Austrian Bank Headquarter

This is a one year observational field study investigating changes in sedentary behaviour and the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders of office workers induced by sit/stand workstations. All employees of an Austrian bank headquarter (approx. 1200 people) will be newly equipped with electric sit/stand workstations by their company in February and March 2019. The main outcomes will be occupational sitting and standing time as well as the occurence and intensity of neck and back pain.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Background Currently, 18.5 percent of all European Union citizens sit more than 7.5 hours per day. It is estimated that approximately one third of white-collar workers spend more than 7.5 hours per day seated. Moreover, it is assumed that working adults sit for up to two thirds of their working time on average, with some office-based occupations (e.g. call center employees) requiring workers to sit for more than 80% of their working day. Although the decline in physical activity helped to reduce physical overload and the accompanying risks, ongoing activity pattern changes are relevant factors in the development of health-related problems. Sedentary and sitting time are both risk factors for several diseases, such as obesity, depression and all-cause mortality. Interestingly, risks of prolonged sitting are independent of physical activity levels.

A possible way to reduce occupational sitting time are sit/stand workstations. Sit-to-stand workstations provide an incentive for people to work in either a sitting or standing posture and facilitate regular sit-to-stand transitions. Despite the global increase in incidence rates, the majority of office workers in Austria are still not provided with this kind of workstation because of concerns about utilization rates.

Aim The primary aim of this observational study is to investigate the mid-term effect (1 year) of sit/stand workstations on occupational sitting and standing time as well as the prevalence and intensity of neck and back pain. Secondary aims are the short- and mid-term effects of sit/stand workstations on weekly physical activity as well as daily and weekly sitting and standing time. Furthermore, their effect on the prevalence and intensity of shoulder pain should be analysed. Lastly, predictors for postural changes at work (between sitting and standing) as well as correlates between the IPAQ and OSPAQ questionnaire for office workers should be determinated.

Intervention All employees of an Austrian bank headquarter will be newly equipped with sit/stand workstations by their own company. Prior to this furniture change, all employees were equipped with traditional sit workstations. The study uses the company induced furniture change for scientific purposes. Hence, the furniture change was not driven by the research institution (university).

Methods Within this study 4 assessment days will be executed. They will be carried out 2 weeks before (baseline) and 3, 6 and 12 months after the furniture change. On each assessment day an online survey will be applied. This survey consists of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), the Occupational Sitting and Physical Activity Questionnaire (OSPAQ), the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and well as questions addressing participants´ characteristics.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

427

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Austria
    • Upper Austria
      • Linz, Upper Austria, Austria, 4020
        • University of Applied Sciences for Health Professions Upper Austria

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 65 years (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

People of all genders, between 18 and 65 years of age, working in an Austrian bank headquarter, who are affected by their company´s plans to replace all office workstation desks (non-adjustable) by electric height-adjustable sit/stand workstations with desk-height memory function in March 2019.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • All office workers from a bank headquarter who are affected by the office furniture change (replacement of traditional sitting work desks by sit/stand workstations)
  • People with sufficient German language skills (able to understand the questions of the questionnaires)
  • People who gave their written consent to participate prior to involvement in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

  • People without an employment at the examined bank headquarter
  • People who are not able to use sit/stand workstations due to physical impairments
  • People on educational or maternity leave

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Changes in occupational sitting time
Time Frame: baseline, 12 months

Subjects will report the amount of occupational sitting time by means of the OSPAQ.

The amount of working hours in the last 7 days will be multiplied by the percentage of time spent sitting at work in the last 7 days to get the overall amount of minutes sitting at work per week.
baseline, 12 months
Changes in occupational standing time
Time Frame: baseline, 12 months

Subjects will report the amount of occupational standing time by means of the OSPAQ.

The amount of working hours in the last 7 days will be multiplied by the percentage of time spent standing at work in the last 7 days to get the overall amount of minutes standing at work per week.
baseline, 12 months
Changes in the one year prevalence of neck pain
Time Frame: baseline, 12 months
Subjects will report the one year prevalence of neck pain by means of the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire.
baseline, 12 months
Changes in the one year prevalence of back pain
Time Frame: baseline, 12 months
Subjects will report the one year prevalence of back pain by means of the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire.
baseline, 12 months
Changes in the average one year neck pain intensity (VAS)
Time Frame: baseline, 12 months
Subjects will report the one year neck pain intensity by means of a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The VAS used for this study ranges from 0 (no pain) to 100 (heavy pain) points.
baseline, 12 months
Changes in the average one year back pain intensity (VAS)
Time Frame: baseline, 12 months
Subjects will report the one year neck pain intensity by means of a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The VAS used for this study ranges from 0 (no pain) to 100 (heavy pain) points.
baseline, 12 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Changes in occupational sitting time
Time Frame: baseline, 3 months, 6 months

Subjects will report the amount of occupational sitting time by means of the OSPAQ.

The amount of working hours in the last 7 days will be multiplied by the percentage of time spent sitting at work in the last 7 days to get the overall amount of minutes sitting at work per week.
baseline, 3 months, 6 months
Changes in occupational standing time
Time Frame: baseline, 3 months, 6 months

Subjects will report the amount of occupational standing time by means of the OSPAQ.

The amount of working hours in the last 7 days will be multiplied by the percentage of time spent standing at work in the last 7 days to get the overall amount of minutes standing at work per week.
baseline, 3 months, 6 months
Changes in the average one year prevalence of shoulder pain
Time Frame: baseline, 12 months
Subjects will report the one year prevalence of shoulder pain by means of the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire.
baseline, 12 months
Changes in the average one year shoulder pain intensity (VAS)
Time Frame: baseline, 12 months
Subjects will report the one year neck pain intensity by means of a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The VAS used for this study ranges from 0 (no pain) to 100 (heavy pain) points.
baseline, 12 months
Changes in the average one week prevalence of neck pain
Time Frame: baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months
Subjects will report the one week prevalence of neck pain by means of the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire.
baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months
Changes in the average one week prevalence of back pain
Time Frame: baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months
Subjects will report the one week prevalence of back pain by means of the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire.
baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months
Changes in the average one week prevalence of shoulder pain
Time Frame: baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months
Subjects will report the one week prevalence of shoulder pain by means of the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire.
baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months
Changes in the average one week neck pain intensity (VAS)
Time Frame: baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months
Subjects will report the one year neck pain intensity by means of a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The VAS used for this study ranges from 0 (no pain) to 100 (heavy pain) points.
baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months
Changes in the average one week back pain intensity (VAS)
Time Frame: baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months
Subjects will report the one year neck pain intensity by means of a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The VAS used for this study ranges from 0 (no pain) to 100 (heavy pain) points.
baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months
Changes in the average one week shoulder pain intensity (VAS)
Time Frame: baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months
Subjects will report the one year neck pain intensity by means of a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The VAS used for this study ranges from 0 (no pain) to 100 (heavy pain) points.
baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months
Changes in daily sitting time
Time Frame: baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months
Subjects will directly report their daily sitting time in hours per day by means of the IPAQ.
baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months
Changes in weekly physical activity
Time Frame: baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months

Subjects will report their weekly physical activity by means of the IPAQ. The amount of walking, moderate and high intensity physical activities as total time in minutes per day, their metabolic equivalents of task (MET) and the frequency in days per week will be multiplied to assess the overall weekly physical activity in MET minutes per week.

Physical activities will only be considered if they lasted at least for 10 or more minutes over the past 7 days.
baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Applied Sciences for Health Professions Upper Austria

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Bernhard Schwartz, MSc BSc, University of Applied Sciences for Health Professions Upper Austria

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (ACTUAL)

January 22, 2019

Primary Completion (ACTUAL)

March 31, 2020

Study Completion (ACTUAL)

March 31, 2020

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 16, 2019

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 18, 2019

First Posted (ACTUAL)

February 19, 2019

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ACTUAL)

April 2, 2020

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 1, 2020

Last Verified

April 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • A-2019-001

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Sedentary Lifestyle

Clinical Trials on Reducing sedentary behaviour

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Guatemala

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe