Workplace Intervention to Reduce Sitting Time: a Randomized Clinical Trial.

NCT05790837 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 280-2022
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 106
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this randomized clinical trial is to determine the effect of the computer prompt to break sitting time in office workers. The main question is: What is the effect of the computer prompt "Stand Up for Your Health®" plus education on sitting time, musculoskeletal symptoms, cardiometabolic markers, and physical activity in office workers compared with only education? In addition, to determine the level of adherence to the intervention program by identifying barriers and facilitators referred by the participants. The participants will be divided into two groups, the experimental and the control group. The participants in the experimental group will use the computer prompt on their desktop and receive information about sedentary behaviour, and the control group will receive only information. All participants will wear accelerometers for one week. The musculoskeletal symptoms and cardiometabolic markers will be measured at baseline, 3rd and 6th month.

Conditions

Sedentary Behavior; Office Workers

Keywords

Sedentary Behavior; Sitting time; Physical activity; Musculoskeletal symptoms; Cardiometabolic biomarkers

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Sedentary behaviour (occupational sitting time) at baseline

  Sedentary behaviour will be objectively assessed using accelerometers Actigraph GT3X per a period of one week. Data will be downloaded and analyzed with ActiLife software. Occupational sitting time shall be measured subjectively using the Occupational Sitting and Physical Activity Questionnaire (OSPAQ).

  During 1 week at T0 (baseline)

• Sedentary behaviour (occupational sitting time) at 3rd month

  Sedentary behaviour will be objectively assessed using accelerometers Actigraph GT3X per a period of one week. Data will be downloaded and analyzed with ActiLife software. Occupational sitting time shall be measured subjectively using the Occupational Sitting and Physical Activity Questionnaire (OSPAQ).

  During 1 week at T1 (3rd month)

• Sedentary behaviour (occupational sitting time) at 6th month

  Sedentary behaviour will be objectively assessed using accelerometers Actigraph GT3X per a period of one week. Data will be downloaded and analyzed with ActiLife software. Occupational sitting time shall be measured subjectively using the Occupational Sitting and Physical Activity Questionnaire (OSPAQ).

  During 1 week at T2 (6th month)

Secondary Outcomes (13)

• Cardiometabolic biomarkers - Fasting blood glucose

  At T0 (baseline), T1 (3rd month) and T2 (6th month)

• Cardiometabolic biomarkers - Fasting insulin

  At T0 (baseline), T1 (3rd month) and T2 (6th month)

• Cardiometabolic biomarkers - Cortisol

  At T0 (baseline), T1 (3rd month) and T2 (6th month)

• Cardiometabolic biomarkers - Triglycerides

  At T0 (baseline), T1 (3rd month) and T2 (6th month)

• Cardiometabolic biomarkers - Total cholesterol

  At T0 (baseline), T1 (3rd month) and T2 (6th month)

Study Arms (2)

Computer prompt + Education (CP+E)

EXPERIMENTAL

The intervention group consists of the implementation of the desktop application "Stand up for your Health®" following the model proposed by the Guide to Physical Activity at Work plus education through an information leaflet

Behavioral: Computer prompt "Stand up for your Health®"

Only Education (OE)

NO INTERVENTION

The control group will receive only education through an information leaflet also following the guidelines of the Work Physical Activity Guide on indications to control the time sitting at work.

Interventions

Computer prompt "Stand up for your Health®" BEHAVIORAL

The intervention group consists on the implementation of a desktop application "Stand up for your Health®" computer prompt following the model proposed by the Guide to Physical Activity at Work (34). This app works by showing reminders and asking users to pause their work activity and take an active break. Pauses can be customized and programmed according to the user's preference, allowing control of the time of each pause, between pauses, and the possibility of delaying or interrupting the pause. In this study, the "Stand up for your Health®" app will be scheduled to appear every 60 minutes on the workers' computers and each break will last for 2 minutes. During this resting period, the worker will see a notice or reminder on their screen with a countdown clock. The application allows you to postpone or interrupt directions.

Computer prompt + Education (CP+E)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• office workers over 18 years of age,
• Full-time employees (≥35 hours per week);
• Spend most of their workday sitting (\> 60%). This will be initially self-reported and used as selection criteria prior to the initial consent and measurement visit. This will be later confirmed using accelerometers;
• Work in the same office place during the week; and
• Able to walk without using an assistive device or requiring the assistance of another person.

You may not qualify if:

• Pregnant women;
• Desktop workers using a height-adjustable workstation; and
• Office workers sufficiently active according to WHO criteria.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Universidad del Desarrollo: lead
• Superintendencia de Seguridad Social - Gobierno de Chile: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Universidad Autónoma de Chile

Santiago, Chile

Location

Related Publications (8)

• Hadgraft NT, Winkler E, Climie RE, Grace MS, Romero L, Owen N, Dunstan D, Healy G, Dempsey PC. Effects of sedentary behaviour interventions on biomarkers of cardiometabolic risk in adults: systematic review with meta-analyses. Br J Sports Med. 2021 Feb;55(3):144-154. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2019-101154. Epub 2020 Apr 8.

  PMID: 32269058 BACKGROUND

• Taylor WC, Williams JR, Harris LE, Shegog R. Computer Prompt Software to Reduce Sedentary Behavior and Promote Physical Activity Among Desk-Based Workers: A Systematic Review. Hum Factors. 2023 Aug;65(5):891-908. doi: 10.1177/00187208211034271. Epub 2021 Aug 15.

  PMID: 34392738 BACKGROUND

• Fernandez-Verdejo R, Suarez-Reyes M. [Physical inactivity versus sedentariness: analysis of the chilean national health survey 2016-2017]. Rev Med Chil. 2021 Jan;149(1):103-109. doi: 10.4067/S0034-98872021000100103. Spanish.

  PMID: 34106141 BACKGROUND

• Ekelund U, Brown WJ, Steene-Johannessen J, Fagerland MW, Owen N, Powell KE, Bauman AE, Lee IM. Do the associations of sedentary behaviour with cardiovascular disease mortality and cancer mortality differ by physical activity level? A systematic review and harmonised meta-analysis of data from 850 060 participants. Br J Sports Med. 2019 Jul;53(14):886-894. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2017-098963. Epub 2018 Jul 10.

  PMID: 29991570 BACKGROUND

• Ekelund U, Tarp J, Steene-Johannessen J, Hansen BH, Jefferis B, Fagerland MW, Whincup P, Diaz KM, Hooker SP, Chernofsky A, Larson MG, Spartano N, Vasan RS, Dohrn IM, Hagstromer M, Edwardson C, Yates T, Shiroma E, Anderssen SA, Lee IM. Dose-response associations between accelerometry measured physical activity and sedentary time and all cause mortality: systematic review and harmonised meta-analysis. BMJ. 2019 Aug 21;366:l4570. doi: 10.1136/bmj.l4570.

  PMID: 31434697 BACKGROUND

• Parry SP, Coenen P, Shrestha N, O'Sullivan PB, Maher CG, Straker LM. Workplace interventions for increasing standing or walking for decreasing musculoskeletal symptoms in sedentary workers. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019 Nov 17;2019(11):CD012487. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD012487.pub2.

  PMID: 31742666 BACKGROUND

• Nunes AMP, Moita JPAM, Espanha MMMR, Petersen KK, Arendt-Nielsen L. Pressure pain thresholds in office workers with chronic neck pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Pain Pract. 2021 Sep;21(7):799-814. doi: 10.1111/papr.13014. Epub 2021 May 6.

  PMID: 33829681 BACKGROUND

• Waongenngarm P, Areerak K, Janwantanakul P. The effects of breaks on low back pain, discomfort, and work productivity in office workers: A systematic review of randomized and non-randomized controlled trials. Appl Ergon. 2018 Apr;68:230-239. doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2017.12.003. Epub 2017 Dec 8.

  PMID: 29409639 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Sedentary Behavior; Motor Activity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Study Officials

• Jaime E Leppe Zamora, PhD©

  Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Region Metropolitana, Chile

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: PhD(C) in Epidemiology

Model Details: Randomized parallel-group trial. The groups will be recruited from higher education institutions. The length of this study will be six months. Measurements shall be made for both groups at baseline, 3rd, and 6th months. The intervention group will receive the computer prompt "Stand up for your Health®" and information about sedentary behaviour. The computer prompt appears when the workers accumulate one hour the work front to screen. The break is two minutes, and one video with exercises starts with instructions for workers during this time. The control group will receive only information through the leaflet.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 6, 2023
• First Posted: March 30, 2023
• Study Start: September 16, 2023
• Primary Completion: June 19, 2024
• Study Completion: June 28, 2024
• Last Updated: May 15, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CL (1)