Application Based Behavior Nudging Active Breaks Versus Conventional Ergonomic Education for Thoracic Mobility and Neck Pain in Office Workers
Effect of Application Based Behavior Nudging Active Breaks Versus Conventional Ergonomic Education on Thoracic Mobility and Neck Pain in Office Workers
This study is about neck pain and upper-back movement in office workers. Sitting for long hours and working on computers can contribute to neck and upper-back discomfort.
The study will compare two approaches:
App-Based Active Breaks: An app will remind participants to take 1 minute movement breaks during their workday.
Conventional Approach: Participants will receive ergonomic advice and exercises to do twice a day.
The exercises include simple movements for the upper back, shoulders, and neck.
Participants will be assessed for neck pain, neck disability, upper-back movement, muscle endurance, and work-related difficulties before and after the program.
The active program will last 6 weeks, followed by a final assessment in week 8.
Participation is voluntary, and participants can withdraw at any time. Their personal information will be kept confidential.
The study aims to find out whether taking short, regular movement breaks with app reminders can help reduce neck pain and improve upper-back movement in office workers.
Study Overview
Status
Conditions
Detailed Description
This study aims to compare app based behavior nudging active breaks with conventional ergonomic education and exercise for office workers experiencing non specific neck and upper back pain. Prolonged sitting, computer use, static postures, and repetitive neck movements can contribute to neck discomfort and reduced upper back mobility. The study focuses on whether regular short movement breaks can help improve these problems.
A total of 64 office workers will participate in the study and will be randomly divided into two groups, with 32 participants in each group. The study will be conducted in corporate offices in Islamabad. Participants will be assessed for neck pain, neck related disability, work limitations, deep neck muscle endurance, and thoracic spine mobility.
Both groups will receive a 15 minute ergonomic education session covering appropriate sitting posture, monitor height, keyboard and mouse placement, and back support. Both groups will also be taught four mobility exercises: seated thoracic extension mobilization, scapular wall slides, and seated thoracic rotation mobilization.
The app based group will receive reminders approximately 7-8 times during each workday for six weeks. Each reminder will prompt participants to take a one minute active break and perform the prescribed mobility exercises. The app will also provide visual reminders and progress features to encourage regular participation. Weekly monitoring and therapist feedback will be provided to support correct exercise performance and adherence.
The conventional group will perform the same mobility exercises twice daily, in the morning and afternoon, without app reminders. They will receive written or electronic instructions about posture, movement safety, and monitoring discomfort, along with weekly self reports of exercise completion and discomfort.
After six weeks, there will be a one week period without supervised sessions or reminders. In week eight, participants will undergo a final assessment. The researchers will compare changes in neck pain, neck disability, thoracic mobility, deep neck muscle endurance, work limitations, and adherence between the two groups. Participant feedback about the intervention will also be collected.
The study is designed as a single-blinded, two-arm randomized controlled trial. Data will be analyzed using appropriate statistical tests depending on the distribution of the data, with analysis performed using SPSS version 29.
The study is intended to determine whether app based reminders combined with short active breaks can provide a practical approach for improving neck pain, neck related disability, thoracic mobility, work productivity, and adherence among office workers.
Study Type
Enrollment (Estimated)
Phase
- Not Applicable
Contacts and Locations
Study Contact
- Name: Maryam Kundi
- Phone Number: +923405754453
- Email: maryam.kundi@riphah.edu.pk
Participation Criteria
Eligibility Criteria
Ages Eligible for Study
- Child
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Description
Inclusion Criteria:
25-50 years, employed in call-center or IT support roles for ≥30 hours per week.
- Sub-acute or chronic non-specific neck and upper thoracic pain
- Neck Disability Index (NDI) score ≥10/50 indicating mild to moderate disability.
- Access to a smartphone compatible with the intervention app
- Able to understand and follow app prompts in English/Urdu.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Specific neck pathology (cervical radiculopathy, myelopathy, fracture, malignancy, infection, or inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis).
- Post-surgical conditions of the cervical or thoracic spine or shoulder within the past 6 months.
- Severe thoracic kyphosis, scoliosis, or other structural spinal deformities interfering with movement assessment.
- Pregnancy or conditions contraindicating light mobility exercises (e.g., vertigo, uncontrolled hypertension).
- Ongoing structured physiotherapy or chiropractic management for neck or upper back pain.
- Planned leave exceeding 2 consecutive weeks during the trial period.
Study Plan
How is the study designed?
Design Details
- Primary Purpose: Treatment
- Allocation: Randomized
- Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
- Masking: Single
Arms and Interventions
Participant Group / Arm |
Intervention / Treatment |
|---|---|
|
Experimental: App Based Behavior Nudging Active Breaks
Participants will receive app reminders 7-8 times during the workday for six weeks to take one minute active breaks and perform the prescribed mobility exercises.
|
Participants will receive app reminders 7-8 times during the workday for six weeks to perform one-minute active breaks using the prescribed mobility exercises.
The app will include visual reminders and progress streaks
|
|
Active Comparator: Conventional Ergonomic Education and Exercise
Participants will perform the prescribed mobility exercises twice daily, in the morning and afternoon, without app reminders.
They will also receive ergonomic guidance on posture, movement safety, and pain monitoring.
|
Participants will receive ergonomic education and perform the prescribed mobility exercises twice daily, in the morning and afternoon, without app reminders.
They will also receive guidance on posture, movement safety, and pain monitoring.
|
What is the study measuring?
Primary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
|
Exercise Adherence
Time Frame: Baseline (Week 0) to Week 8
|
Adherence to the prescribed active breaks and mobility exercises, assessed using the Exercise Adherence Rating Scale and app based activity logs.
|
Baseline (Week 0) to Week 8
|
Collaborators and Investigators
Sponsor
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Tayyeba Gul, Ms OMPT, Riphah International University
Study record dates
Study Major Dates
Study Start (Estimated)
Primary Completion (Estimated)
Study Completion (Estimated)
Study Registration Dates
First Submitted
First Submitted That Met QC Criteria
First Posted (Actual)
Study Record Updates
Last Update Posted (Actual)
Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria
Last Verified
More Information
Terms related to this study
Additional Relevant MeSH Terms
Other Study ID Numbers
- RIU/RCRAHS-ISB/REC/MSPT/02440
Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)
Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?
Drug and device information, study documents
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product
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