Standing Desk Converter & Habitual Posture

April 24, 2026 updated by: Olga Theou

Impact of a Standing Desk Converter Intervention on Habitual Posture, Cognition, and Cardiovascular Health

This project will determine the short-term impact of a standing desk converter on: 1) objectively measured physical activity and posture levels, and 2) brain (cognition) and heart (blood pressure regulation) function. The main outcome is habitual activity patterns, assessed by the thigh-worn inclinometer (activPAL). All participants will be equipped with an activPAL and have their cardiovascular and cognitive function assessed at baseline and 4 weeks. Participants in the intervention group will use a standing desk converter for 4 weeks, while the wait-list control group will be encouraged to maintain their regular activity patterns. Researchers will compare the intervention and control groups to see if using the standing desk converter will increase standing time and lower sedentary time, improve cognition, and improve blood pressure regulation.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Background: Too much sedentary time (time spent sitting, reclining, or lying) leads to health problems such as cognitive impairments or cardiovascular disease. A lot of sedentary time is accumulated while working at a desk (e.g., computer work, studying, etc.). Standing desk interventions have provided mixed support as to whether they can reduce habitual sedentary time, with the need for more controlled interventional studies. It remains to be determined if a simple standing desk converter (i.e., a height-adjusted desk that can be set on top of a traditional sitting desk) increases standing time (i.e., not sedentary) and/or decreases sedentary time. Worse cognitive health and higher blood pressure are linked to a greater risk of chronic conditions such as dementia and cardiovascular disease, respectively. More physical activity improves cognition and blood pressure regulation, but whether standing more also translates to these brain and heart improvements is unclear.

Main Objective: The goals of this project are to determine the impact of a standing desk converter on: 1) objectively measured physical activity and posture levels, and 2) brain (cognition) and heart (blood pressure regulation) function. It is expected that using the standing desk converter will increase standing time and lower sedentary time, improve cognition, and improve blood pressure regulation.

Methodology: For the proposed project, we will assess free-living posture, cognition, and blood pressure regulation before and after 4-weeks of either using a standing desk converter (intervention) or a wait-list control. The study population targets adults who use a traditional seated desk for a minimum of 20 hours per week and do not already use a standing desk. Free-living activity will be assessed using activity monitors (activPALs) worn for 7-days before and after either the control period or intervention. Cognition will be assessed using a computerized Stroop task that records accuracy and reaction times to selecting the colour of the word or the word itself (e.g., word BLUE written in red font). Progressively more challenging Stroop conditions will be used to assess different aspects of cognition. During the Stroop, cerebral oxygenation will be determined using near-infrared spectroscopy. Beat-by-beat blood pressure (via finger cuff), heart rate (via electrocardiogram), and internal carotid artery size and red blood cell velocity (via ultrasound) will be measured while lying down and in response to 20 minutes of 60-degree passive head-up tilt that tests blood pressure regulation. The proposed study will yield new knowledge as it relates to real-life posture interventions that promote healthier movement and investigates whether standing converters lead to improvements in brain and heart health.

Significance: The proposed study will yield new knowledge as it relates to real-life posture interventions that promote healthier movement and investigates whether standing converters lead to improvements in brain and heart health.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

50

Phase

  • Not Applicable

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

  • Canada
    • Nova Scotia
      • Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, B3H 4R2
        • Dalhousie University

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 18 years of age or older
  • Are normotensive, cognitively healthy, and do not have a history of fainting while standing
  • Are able to stand for 10 min without assistance (e.g., require a walker, person assistance)
  • Are not allergic to clear medical adhesive (TegadermTM, 3M) used to secure the activPAL activity monitors
  • Use a seated desk at least 20 hours/week in the last month and do not use a standing or active desk already
  • Females who are not pregnant, breastfeeding or planning on becoming pregnant prior to entry into the study

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Younger than 18 years old
  • Hypertension (resting systolic pressure >139 mmHg and/or diastolic pressure >89 mmHg)
  • Have a diagnosed cognitive impairment
  • Have a history of orthostatic hypotension/intolerance and/or fainting while standing
  • Cannot stand for at least 10 min without assistance (e.g., require a walker, person assistance)
  • Have a known allergy to the clear medical adhesive (TegadermTM, 3M)
  • Use a seated desk less than 20 hours/week, use a standing or active desk already, or use a desk for more than 20 hours/week but not in the last month
  • Females who are pregnant, breastfeeding or planning on becoming pregnant prior to entry into the study

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

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

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Wait-list Control Group
Fitted with inclinometers/accelerometers at week 0 and week 4 of the intervention period for 7 consecutive days of wear. Measures of cognition and blood pressure regulation will occur at these same timepoints. Daily activities of participants will not be restricted if patients are assigned to the control group.
Experimental: Intervention Group
Fitted with inclinometers/accelerometers at week 0 and week 4 of the intervention period for 7 consecutive days of wear. Measures of cognition and blood pressure regulation will occur at these same timepoints.
Behavioral: Standing Promotion Intervention
Participants will be provided with a standing desk converter to set on top of their existing desk for 4 weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
ActivPAL monitors
Time Frame: Change from baseline (week 0) activity to post intervention (week 4).
Habitual sedentary and physical activity data will be recorded through the thigh-worn monitor. Information obtained from the 3 monitors will provide information regarding time spent lying, sitting (bent vs straight leg) and standing.
Change from baseline (week 0) activity to post intervention (week 4).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Cognition
Time Frame: Change from baseline (week 0) activity to post intervention (week 4).
The computerized Stroop task will consist of the three conditions mentioned above: simple, interference, and switching. The computer program used to administer the task records accuracy and reaction time.
Change from baseline (week 0) activity to post intervention (week 4).
Brain Activation: Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy
Time Frame: Change from baseline (week 0) activity to post intervention (week 4).
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a well-established modality of neuroimaging that can detect differences in blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) signal, allowing one to make inferences on brain activity. fNIRS sensors consist of light sources that emit near-infrared light, as well as photo diodes that detect the levels of the light at the two different frequencies. As each wavelength of light is known to be absorbed differently by oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin, one can infer cerebral oxygenation via the relative absorption of each wavelength through the application of a modified beer-lambert law. The NIRScout system contains 8 LED sources and 16 detectors (optodes), which can be placed in customized configurations to measure from different regions of the brain. The sources and detectors are held in place through an elasticized cap that fastens with Velcro under the chin.
Change from baseline (week 0) activity to post intervention (week 4).
Electrocardiography
Time Frame: Change from baseline (week 0) activity to post intervention (week 4).
Heart rate will be monitored via electrocardiography (ECG). ECG is the non-invasive, passive recording of electrical cardiac activity at the surface of the skin. This will be recorded at a sampling frequency using a dedicated data acquisition system (PowerLab, ADInstruments) and analysis software (Lab Chart, ADInstruments).
Change from baseline (week 0) activity to post intervention (week 4).
Continuous Finger Blood Pressure Recording (Finapres Medical Systems)
Time Frame: Change from baseline (week 0) activity to post intervention (week 4).
A small cuff used to measure continuous, non-invasive blood pressure will be placed around the middle or index finger. When in use, the cuff will inflate with air and gently squeeze the finger. This will be recorded at a sampling rate of 200Hz using a dedicated data acquisition system (PowerLab, ADInstruments) and analysis software (Lab Chart, ADInstruments).
Change from baseline (week 0) activity to post intervention (week 4).
Upper Arm Blood Pressure Measurements
Time Frame: Change from baseline (week 0) activity to post intervention (week 4).
A semi-automated patient vital signs monitor (Carescape v100®, General Electric Healthcare) will be used to record resting, seated blood pressure from the upper left arm (i.e., the brachial artery). Additional measurements will be recorded during the various rest periods.
Change from baseline (week 0) activity to post intervention (week 4).
Carotid Artery Structure
Time Frame: Change from baseline (week 0) activity to post intervention (week 4).
Internal carotid artery intima-media thickness will be imaged on the right-side. A minimum of two minutes of beat-by-beat carotid images during supine rest, the initial tilt, and the final tilt period will be collected.
Change from baseline (week 0) activity to post intervention (week 4).
Carotid Artery Function
Time Frame: Change from baseline (week 0) activity to post intervention (week 4).
Internal carotid artery function changes in blood flow to head-up tilt will be measured via ultrasonography. A minimum of two minutes of beat-by-beat carotid images during supine rest, the initial tilt, and the final tilt period will be collected in the right-side common carotid artery.
Change from baseline (week 0) activity to post intervention (week 4).

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Olga Theou

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Myles W O'Brien, PhD, Department of Medicine and Department of Physiotherapy, Dalhousie University

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)

October 1, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

February 24, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

February 24, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 16, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 24, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

August 1, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 29, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 24, 2026

Last Verified

September 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2023-6694

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

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

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.

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