Standing Desk Converter & Habitual Posture

NCT05970588 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 2023-6694
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 50
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

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.

Conditions

Sedentary Time; Cognitive Function; Blood Pressure Regulation

Keywords

Standing Time; Occupational Health; Stroop Task; Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; Head-Up Tilt; Objectively Measured Activity

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• ActivPAL monitors

  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 Outcomes (7)

• Cognition

  Change from baseline (week 0) activity to post intervention (week 4).

• Brain Activation: Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy

  Change from baseline (week 0) activity to post intervention (week 4).

• Electrocardiography

  Change from baseline (week 0) activity to post intervention (week 4).

• Continuous Finger Blood Pressure Recording (Finapres Medical Systems)

  Change from baseline (week 0) activity to post intervention (week 4).

• Upper Arm Blood Pressure Measurements

  Change from baseline (week 0) activity to post intervention (week 4).

Study Arms (2)

Wait-list Control Group

NO INTERVENTION

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.

Intervention Group

EXPERIMENTAL

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

Interventions

Standing Promotion Intervention BEHAVIORAL

Participants will be provided with a standing desk converter to set on top of their existing desk for 4 weeks.

Intervention Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• 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

You may not qualify if:

• 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

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Olga Theou: lead

Study Sites (1)

Dalhousie University

Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4R2, Canada

Location

Related Publications (13)

• Dorey TW, O'Brien MW, Robinson SA, Kimmerly DS. Knee-high compression socks minimize head-up tilt-induced cerebral and cardiovascular responses following dynamic exercise. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2018 Jul;28(7):1766-1774. doi: 10.1111/sms.13084. Epub 2018 Apr 16.

  PMID: 29575406 BACKGROUND

• Neuhaus M, Eakin EG, Straker L, Owen N, Dunstan DW, Reid N, Healy GN. Reducing occupational sedentary time: a systematic review and meta-analysis of evidence on activity-permissive workstations. Obes Rev. 2014 Oct;15(10):822-38. doi: 10.1111/obr.12201. Epub 2014 Jul 11.

  PMID: 25040784 BACKGROUND

• O'Brien MW, Daley WS, Schwartz BD, Shivgulam ME, Wu Y, Kimmerly DS, Frayne RJ. Characterization of Detailed Sedentary Postures Using a Tri-Monitor ActivPAL Configuration in Free-Living Conditions. Sensors (Basel). 2023 Jan 4;23(2):587. doi: 10.3390/s23020587.

  PMID: 36679384 BACKGROUND

• Petterson, JL, Mekari, S, O'Brien, MW. An open-source Stroop task program that incorporates a switching condition to determine executive function. Software Impacts. 2022 Jul 7 13, 100361. doi: 10.1016/j.simpa.2022.100361

  BACKGROUND

• de Rezende LF, Rodrigues Lopes M, Rey-Lopez JP, Matsudo VK, Luiz Odo C. Sedentary behavior and health outcomes: an overview of systematic reviews. PLoS One. 2014 Aug 21;9(8):e105620. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0105620. eCollection 2014.

  PMID: 25144686 BACKGROUND

• Thorp AA, Healy GN, Winkler E, Clark BK, Gardiner PA, Owen N, Dunstan DW. Prolonged sedentary time and physical activity in workplace and non-work contexts: a cross-sectional study of office, customer service and call centre employees. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2012 Oct 26;9:128. doi: 10.1186/1479-5868-9-128.

  PMID: 23101767 BACKGROUND

• O'Brien MW, Kimmerly DS, Mekari S. Greater habitual moderate-to-vigorous physical activity is associated with better executive function and higher prefrontal oxygenation in older adults. Geroscience. 2021 Dec;43(6):2707-2718. doi: 10.1007/s11357-021-00391-5. Epub 2021 Jun 3.

  PMID: 34081258 BACKGROUND

• De Vries J, Michielsen HJ, Van Heck GL. Assessment of fatigue among working people: a comparison of six questionnaires. Occup Environ Med. 2003 Jun;60 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):i10-5. doi: 10.1136/oem.60.suppl_1.i10.

  PMID: 12782741 BACKGROUND

• Hatoum T, Sheldon R. A practical approach to investigation of syncope. Can J Cardiol. 2014 Jun;30(6):671-4. doi: 10.1016/j.cjca.2014.03.043. Epub 2014 Apr 3.

  PMID: 24882540 BACKGROUND

• Petersen ME, Williams TR, Gordon C, Chamberlain-Webber R, Sutton R. The normal response to prolonged passive head up tilt testing. Heart. 2000 Nov;84(5):509-14. doi: 10.1136/heart.84.5.509.

  PMID: 11040011 BACKGROUND

• Bantoft C, Summers MJ, Tranent PJ, Palmer MA, Cooley PD, Pedersen SJ. Effect of Standing or Walking at a Workstation on Cognitive Function: A Randomized Counterbalanced Trial. Hum Factors. 2016 Feb;58(1):140-9. doi: 10.1177/0018720815605446. Epub 2015 Sep 24.

  PMID: 26408647 BACKGROUND

• E F Graves L, C Murphy R, Shepherd SO, Cabot J, Hopkins ND. Evaluation of sit-stand workstations in an office setting: a randomised controlled trial. BMC Public Health. 2015 Nov 19;15:1145. doi: 10.1186/s12889-015-2469-8.

  PMID: 26584856 BACKGROUND

• Ma J, Ma D, Li Z, Kim H. Effects of a Workplace Sit-Stand Desk Intervention on Health and Productivity. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Nov 4;18(21):11604. doi: 10.3390/ijerph182111604.

  PMID: 34770116 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Sedentary Behavior

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Study Officials

• Myles W O'Brien, PhD

  Department of Medicine and Department of Physiotherapy, Dalhousie University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: The control group will receive no intervention and will be inherently not blinded to their group allocation. All analyses will be completed by an individual blinded to participants' group allocation.
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor

Model Details: A block randomization strategy will be implemented to ensure equal allocations to intervention/control groups in groups of 6 (3 per group). Even and odd numerals will represent designation to the Intervention and Control groups, respectively. For example, if the first 3 participants are randomized to the control group, the next 3 will be allocated to the intervention group. To ensure all control participants will be offered the intervention after their control period, the first 3 participants for the final block of 6 (block 7) will be randomized to the control group first. Randomization will occur after Visit 1 assessments are complete.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 16, 2023
• First Posted: August 1, 2023
• Study Start: October 1, 2023
• Primary Completion: February 24, 2025
• Study Completion: February 24, 2025
• Last Updated: April 29, 2026

Record last verified: 2024-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CA (1)