Abstract
- The treatment condition involved the use of adjustable standing desktop accessory at the participants’ workplace.
- The control condition required the respondents to use standard work desks.
Summary of the Methods
The intervention group’s participants, who were 24, were provided with adjustable standing desks while the eleven members of the control group maintained their standard work desks. All participants were supposed to have a BMI of more than 25 and reported having to sit six or more hours per workday. The authors captured Objective and self-reported sedentary time before and after the intervention, and workplace satisfaction and health outcomes for both teams assessed after six months.
Background
Resendiz et al. conducted the study to assess how six-month standing desk intervention can impact overweight hospital workers with sedentary behavior of more than six hours a day. The author noted that sedentary behaviors increase the risks for various health problems such as cardiovascular diseases. They wanted to investigate the effectiveness of adjustable workstations in improving workers’ health well-being since they are acceptable approaches for ensuring a more active working environment.
Method
The study’s outcome measures included body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, sitting/standing time, and workplace satisfaction. The BMI was calculated by dividing weight by height squared, where the former and later were measured digital scale and height rod, respectively. A soft retractable tape measure was used to measure the participant’s waist circumference. The change in BMI and waist circumference over time was assessed using paired t-tests. Personal workstation satisfaction and sitting/standing time before and after installation of standing desks were self-reported through surveys. The intervention group was also provided with a desk-use log and devices to detect when they are standing to facilitate accurate recording time.
Results
The study’s findings show differences in BMI and waist circumference between the participants and the control group. The intervention group’s BMI and waist circumference at the baseline is significantly lower at 30.8 and 36.7 than 35.3 and 41.2, correspondingly, of the control group. The change in the mean value of the two variables for both groups was insignificant after the study’s six months. For the sedentary/non-sedentary behavior, the participants self-reported that they stand for about 52.9 % of a workday compared to 42.7% of what the accelerometer recorded. The effect of standing desks’ implementation on personal workplace satisfaction was another notable finding. Overall satisfaction was 67% at the end of six months compared to 6 % before installing the standing desks. The respondents’ workplace satisfaction, office furnishings’ comfort, and ability to adjust furniture depending on needs are 44%, 34%, and 72%, respectively.
Discussion
The study confirms other reports about standing and reduction of workplace sedentary time. While the self-reported time for utilization of standing desks was four hours in the study, American and Australian researchers reported 21 % and two hours reduction of sedentary time, correspondingly. Also, standing desks have an insignificant impact on waist circumference, BMI, and weight loss even after intervention. The findings opposed the expected manifestation of increased daily usage of calories and risks for adverse impacts related to weight due to sedentary behavior. The Inability to fully control various confounding factors such as continuous monitoring of participants’ diet contributed to the unnoticeable positive health outcomes.
Another notable point is that the subjectivity of self-reported sedentary behavior and limited measures of the selected health outcomes may have contributed to the latter’s undetectable long-term improvement. However, installation of the standing desks was associated with increased satisfaction of personal workspace. Additionally, using standing workstations effectively reduces sedentary behaviors in workplaces, minimizes perceived discomfort, and increases productivity.