Floor Sitting Study

Floor Sitting: An Exploration of Its Effects on Health and Sedentary Activity

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the impact of different sitting environments on general well-being and movement patterns in healthy young adults aged 18-35. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does floor sitting lead to increased movement and postural changes compared to chair sitting? Over a month-long period, how does sustained floor sitting influence overall well-being, posture, and movement habits?

Researchers will compare the effects of chair sitting and floor sitting in a controlled lab environment (Aim 1) and observe the longer-term effects of habitual floor sitting in participants natural environments (Aim 2) to see if consistent floor sitting promotes more dynamic movement and comfort.

Participants will:

Undergo two 30-minute experimental sitting sessions, one in a chair and the other on the floor, while engaging in typical desk activities (Aim 1).

Participate in a month-long study where they integrate an hour of floor sitting into their daily routines, recording their experiences and any changes in sitting habits through daily diaries and in-depth interview (Aim 2).

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Posture; Well-being/Quality of Life; Sedentary Behaviors
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Chair Sitting (30 minutes); Behavioral: Floor Sitting (30 minutes); Behavioral: Daily Floor Sitting Practice (1 month)

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 40
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • Los Angeles, California, United States, 90033
      • Lifestyle Redesign for Chronic Conditions Lab

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• age 18-35 years
• English-speaking
• willing and able to complete study procedures.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Any injuries or conditions that would limit participants from sitting on the floor in a safe manner, mental states that would preclude the complete understanding of the protocol and compliance, and prior knowledge of the study hypotheses, as it may potentially influence participant behavior and compromise the integrity of the study.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Chair Sitting Experimental Arm; Participants in this arm will undergo a 30-minute session of chair sitting in a non-swivel chair. Activities during this session include engaging in typical desk activities to simulate a natural office environment.	Behavioral: Chair Sitting (30 minutes); This intervention involves a single session of chair sitting for 30 minutes, where participants will sit in a standardized non-swivel chair and perform desk-based activities like computer use.
Experimental: Floor Sitting Experimental Arm; Participants in this arm will undergo a 30-minute session of floor sitting on a cushioned mat. They will engage in the same desk activities as the chair sitting arm to maintain consistency across conditions.	Behavioral: Floor Sitting (30 minutes); This intervention entails a single session of floor sitting for 30 minutes, with participants seated on a cushioned mat performing similar desk activities as in the chair sitting session.
Experimental: Extended Floor Sitting Intervention; Participants in this arm will engage in daily floor sitting as part of their usual activities at home to assess the long-term effects of floor sitting on well-being and health.	Behavioral: Daily Floor Sitting Practice (1 month); Participants will be instructed to incorporate at least one hour of floor sitting into their daily routine for a duration of one month.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Changes in Movement Patterns via Accelerometry	Measurement of movement patterns using accelerometry to assess changes in physical activity levels and subtle movements, including frequency, intensity, and duration of movements during different sitting interventions (chair vs. floor sitting).	Recorded continuously during each 30-minute sitting session; analysis will compare aggregate data from the two sessions.
Variations in Sitting Posture Captured by Video Analysis	Utilization of video recordings to analyze and quantify postural changes during sitting sessions. This will involve evaluating variations in posture, such as shifts from upright to slouched positions, and identifying the frequency and diversity of postural transitions during each session.	Postural data will be collected throughout the two 30-minute experimental sitting sessions, with comparative analysis conducted post-intervention.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Beth Pyatak
• Investigators: Study Chair: Elizabeth A Pyatak, University of Southern California

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 25, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 30, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): June 30, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 18, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 18, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): September 20, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 28, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 27, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: posture; movement; ergonomics; accelerometry; sedentary behaviors; sitting behaviors; floor sitting
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavior; Sedentary Behavior
• Other Study ID Numbers: UP-24-00696

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

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