Are We Chained to Our Desks? Describing Desk-Based Sitting Using a Novel Measure of Occupational Sitting

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1318-1323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gemma Cathrine Ryde ◽  
Helen Elizabeth Brown ◽  
Nicholas David Gilson ◽  
Wendy J. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Work Hours ◽  
Poor Health ◽  
Sitting Time ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Detailed Data ◽  
Occupational Sitting ◽  
Sit To Stand ◽  
Office Employees ◽  
Work Contexts

Background:Prolonged occupational sitting is related to poor health outcomes. Detailed data on sitting time at desks are required to understand and effectively influence occupational sitting habits.Methods:Full-time office employees were recruited (n = 105; mean age 40.9 ± 11.5 years; BMI 26.1 ± 3.9, 65% women). Sitting at the desk and in other work contexts was measured using a sitting pad and ActivPAL for an entire working week. Employees used a diary to record work hours. Time spent at work, sitting at work and at the desk; number of sit to stand transitions at the desk; and number of bouts of continuous sitting at the desk < 20 and > 60 minutes, were calculated.Results:Average time spent at work was 8.7 ± 0.8 hours/day with 67% spent sitting at the desk (5.8 ± 1.2 hours/day), and 4% in other workplace settings. On average, employees got up from their desks 3 times/hour (29 ± 13/day). Sitting for more than 60 consecutive minutes occurred infrequently (0.69 ± 0.62 times/day), with most sit to stands (80%; 23 ± 14) occurring before 20 minutes of continual sitting.Conclusion:The findings provide highly detailed insights into desk-based sitting habits, highlighting large proportions of time spent sitting at desks, but with frequent interruptions.

Effects of a Minimal Workplace Intervention to Reduce Sedentary Behaviors and Improve Perceived Wellness in Middle-Aged Women Office Workers

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 838-844 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joyan L. Urda ◽  
Jeffrey S. Lynn ◽  
Andrea Gorman ◽  
Beth Larouere
Keyword(s):  
Activity Monitor ◽  
Work Hours ◽  
Office Workers ◽  
Sitting Time ◽  
University Staff ◽  
Sedentary Behaviors ◽  
Sit To Stand ◽  
Control Intervention ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Perceived Wellness

Background:The purpose of this study was to determine whether an alert to get up once per hour while at work would reduce sitting time, increase sit-to-stand transitions, and improve perceived wellness in women with sedentary jobs.Methods:Female university staff and administrators (48 ± 10 years) were randomly assigned to control-control (CC) (n = 22) or control-intervention (CI) (n = 22) groups. Both used a thigh-worn postural-based activity monitor for 2 weeks. The CC group maintained normal behaviors, whereas the CI group maintained behaviors during control week, but received hourly alerts on their computer during work hours in the intervention week. Time sitting and sit-to-stand transitions during an 8.5-hour workday were examined. A perceived wellness survey was completed at baseline and after the control and intervention weeks.Results:Among all participants (N = 44) during the control week, 68% of the workday was spent sitting and 41 sit-to-stand transitions occurred. An analysis of variance revealed no statistically significant differences in variables over time (P > .05). There was a significant increase in perceived wellness from baseline in both groups (P ≤ .05). Perceived wellness showed no statistically significant difference between groups.Conclusions:The intervention had no statistically significant effect on sitting time or sit-to-stand transitions. Participation improved perceived wellness in the absence of behavior change.

scholarly journals Monitoring Occupational Sitting, Standing, and Stepping in Office Employees With the W@W-App and the MetaWearC Sensor: Validation Study (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judit Bort-Roig ◽  
Emilia Chirveches-Pérez ◽  
Francesc Garcia-Cuyàs ◽  
Kieran P Dowd ◽  
Anna Puig-Ribera
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Sitting Time ◽  
Equivalence Testing ◽  
Motion Sensors ◽  
Recording Time ◽  
Occupational Sitting ◽  
Office Employees

BACKGROUND Replacing occupational sitting time with active tasks has several proposed health benefits for office employees. Mobile phones and motion sensors can provide objective information in real time on occupational sitting behavior. However, the validity and feasibility of using mobile health (mHealth) devices to quantify and modify occupational sedentary time is unclear. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to validate the new Walk@Work-Application (W@W-App)—including an external motion sensor (MetaWearC) attached to the thigh—for measuring occupational sitting, standing, and stepping in free-living conditions against the activPAL3M, the current gold-standard, device-based measure for postural behaviors. METHODS In total, 20 office workers (16 [80%] females; mean age 39.5, SD 8.1 years) downloaded the W@W-App to their mobile phones, wore a MetaWearC sensor attached to their thigh using a tailored band, and wore the activPAL3M for 3-8 consecutive working hours. Differences between both measures were examined using paired-samples <i>t</i> tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Agreement between measures was examined using concordance correlation coefficients (CCCs), 95% CIs, Bland-Altman plots (mean bias, 95% limits of agreement [LoA]), and equivalence testing techniques. RESULTS The median recording time for the W@W-App+MetaWearC and the activPAL3M was 237.5 (SD 132.8) minutes and 240.0 (SD 127.5) minutes, respectively (<i>P</i>&lt;.001). No significant differences between sitting (<i>P</i>=.53), standing (<i>P</i>=.12), and stepping times (<i>P</i>=.61) were identified. The CCC identified substantial agreement between both measures for sitting (CCC=0.98, 95% CI 0.96-0.99), moderate agreement for standing (CCC=0.93, 95% CI 0.81-0.97), and poor agreement for stepping (CCC=0.74, 95% CI 0.47-0.88). Bland-Altman plots indicated that sitting time (mean bias –1.66 minutes, 95% LoA –30.37 to 20.05) and standing time (mean bias –4.85 minutes, 95% LoA –31.31 to 21.62) were underreported. For stepping time, a positive mean bias of 1.15 minutes (95% LoA –15.11 to 17.41) was identified. Equivalence testing demonstrated that the estimates obtained from the W@W-App+MetaWearC and the activPAL3M were considered equivalent for all variables excluding stepping time. CONCLUSIONS The W@W-App+MetaWearC is a low-cost tool with acceptable levels of accuracy that can objectively quantify occupational sitting, standing, stationary, and upright times in real time. Due to the availability of real-time feedback for users, this tool can positively influence occupational sitting behaviors in future interventions. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04092738; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04092738

scholarly journals Monitoring Occupational Sitting, Standing, and Stepping in Office Employees With the W@W-App and the MetaWearC Sensor: Validation Study

10.2196/15338 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. e15338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judit Bort-Roig ◽  
Emilia Chirveches-Pérez ◽  
Francesc Garcia-Cuyàs ◽  
Kieran P Dowd ◽  
Anna Puig-Ribera
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Sitting Time ◽  
Equivalence Testing ◽  
Motion Sensors ◽  
Recording Time ◽  
Occupational Sitting ◽  
Office Employees

Background Replacing occupational sitting time with active tasks has several proposed health benefits for office employees. Mobile phones and motion sensors can provide objective information in real time on occupational sitting behavior. However, the validity and feasibility of using mobile health (mHealth) devices to quantify and modify occupational sedentary time is unclear. Objective The aim of this study is to validate the new Walk@Work-Application (W@W-App)—including an external motion sensor (MetaWearC) attached to the thigh—for measuring occupational sitting, standing, and stepping in free-living conditions against the activPAL3M, the current gold-standard, device-based measure for postural behaviors. Methods In total, 20 office workers (16 [80%] females; mean age 39.5, SD 8.1 years) downloaded the W@W-App to their mobile phones, wore a MetaWearC sensor attached to their thigh using a tailored band, and wore the activPAL3M for 3-8 consecutive working hours. Differences between both measures were examined using paired-samples t tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Agreement between measures was examined using concordance correlation coefficients (CCCs), 95% CIs, Bland-Altman plots (mean bias, 95% limits of agreement [LoA]), and equivalence testing techniques. Results The median recording time for the W@W-App+MetaWearC and the activPAL3M was 237.5 (SD 132.8) minutes and 240.0 (SD 127.5) minutes, respectively (P<.001). No significant differences between sitting (P=.53), standing (P=.12), and stepping times (P=.61) were identified. The CCC identified substantial agreement between both measures for sitting (CCC=0.98, 95% CI 0.96-0.99), moderate agreement for standing (CCC=0.93, 95% CI 0.81-0.97), and poor agreement for stepping (CCC=0.74, 95% CI 0.47-0.88). Bland-Altman plots indicated that sitting time (mean bias –1.66 minutes, 95% LoA –30.37 to 20.05) and standing time (mean bias –4.85 minutes, 95% LoA –31.31 to 21.62) were underreported. For stepping time, a positive mean bias of 1.15 minutes (95% LoA –15.11 to 17.41) was identified. Equivalence testing demonstrated that the estimates obtained from the W@W-App+MetaWearC and the activPAL3M were considered equivalent for all variables excluding stepping time. Conclusions The W@W-App+MetaWearC is a low-cost tool with acceptable levels of accuracy that can objectively quantify occupational sitting, standing, stationary, and upright times in real time. Due to the availability of real-time feedback for users, this tool can positively influence occupational sitting behaviors in future interventions. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04092738; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04092738

scholarly journals The Impacts of Unrecognized Language and Cultural Barriers During an Educational and Training Activity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael D Owens ◽  
Franck A Nzumba
Keyword(s):  
Global Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Important Variable ◽  
Poor Health ◽  
Cultural Barriers ◽  
Training Activity ◽  
And Training

ABSTRACT Language and cultural barriers are associated with poor health outcomes. Communication is arguably the most important variable associated with a successful educational and training Global Health Engagement (GHE) and often unrecognized even when attempts are made to address this barrier. Madagascar’s GHE activity improved after the addition of local Malagasy translation to fully translated official French instruction.

scholarly journals The impact of sitting time and physical activity on mental health during COVID-19 lockdown

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Pears ◽  
Susanna Kola-Palmer ◽  
Liane Beretta De Azevedo
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Depression Score ◽  
Sitting Time ◽  
Multiple Stepwise Regression Analysis ◽  
Previous Diagnosis ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Objective The primary aim of this study was to investigate the association between physical activity (PA) and sitting time on adults’ mental health (i.e., depression, anxiety and wellbeing) and the influence of mediators and confounders. Methods An online survey was disseminated in the UK between May and June 2020. A total of 284 participants (33.5 ± 12.4 years) self-reported their PA, sitting time and mental health through validated questionnaires. Results Multiple stepwise regression analysis revealed that being of younger age, female, on a lower income, with one or more comorbid health conditions, with a previous diagnosis of mood disorder and increased sitting time independently correlated with higher depression scores (F (13,219) = 12.31, p < 0.001), and explained 42% of the variance. Similar results were found for wellbeing where socio-demographic, health outcomes and sitting time influenced the subjective wellbeing (F (14,218) = 5.77, p < 0.001, 27% variance), although only socio-demographic and health outcomes contributed to the variation in anxiety score (F (13,219) = 7.84, p < 0.001, 32% variance). PA did not explain variation when sitting time was taken into account in any of the models. Combined analysis revealed that participants with lower sedentary time (< 8 h) and with both low or moderate and high PA presented a significantly lower depression score [low PA: (B = −2.7, 95% CI −4.88, −0.52); moderate and high PA (B = −2.7, −4.88, −0.52)]. Conclusion Sitting time was strongly associated with adverse mental health during COVID-19 lockdown and should be considered in future public health recommendations.

scholarly journals Association between physical activity, occupational sitting time and mortality in a general population: An 18-year prospective survey in Tanushimaru, Japan

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (7) ◽  
pp. 758-766 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akiko Sakaue ◽  
Hisashi Adachi ◽  
Mika Enomoto ◽  
Ako Fukami ◽  
Eita Kumagai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
General Population ◽  
Hazard Ratio ◽  
Adjusted Hazard Ratio ◽  
Sitting Time ◽  
Inverse Association ◽  
Physical Activity Questionnaire ◽  
Occupational Sitting ◽  
Activity Questionnaire

Aims It is well known that a decline in physical activity is associated with an increase of all-cause death including cardiovascular events and cancer. Few studies have examined the association between occupational sitting time and mortality. Therefore, we investigated this issue in a general population. Methods Physical activity and occupational sitting time were measured using the Baecke physical activity questionnaire in 1999. The questionnaire generated indices in three physical activity categories: work, sport and leisure-time. A total physical activity index was calculated by adding these three indices. The Baecke physical activity questionnaire was able to evaluate occupational sitting time. Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using Cox's proportional hazard regression models. Results We enrolled a total of 1680 participants, who were followed up for 15.9 ± 3.8 years. The final follow-up rate was 93%. During the follow-up period, 397 subjects died. A significant inverse association ( p < 0.0001) was found between physical activity and mortality after adjustment for age and sex. Compared with lower levels of physical activity, the adjusted hazard ratio for mortality at higher levels of physical activity was 0.85 (95% CI: 0.78–0.92). Longer occupational sitting time was also significantly associated with higher mortality ( p < 0.01). The adjusted hazard ratio for mortality at longer occupational sitting time was 1.16 (95% CI: 1.05–1.27). These findings were observed in males, but not in females. Conclusions Our data demonstrated that higher levels of physical activity are associated with a reduced risk of cancer and cardiovascular death. Further, longer occupational sitting time is associated with increased mortality.

scholarly journals Driving: A Road to Unhealthy Lifestyles and Poor Health Outcomes

PLoS ONE ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. e94602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ding Ding ◽  
Klaus Gebel ◽  
Philayrath Phongsavan ◽  
Adrian E. Bauman ◽  
Dafna Merom
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Poor Health

scholarly journals 'I just hope they take it seriously': homeless men talk about their health care

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 748
Author(s):  
Nancy Sturman ◽  
Don Matheson
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Health System ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Healthcare Systems ◽  
Poor Health ◽  
Homeless Men ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Care Fragmentation

ObjectiveMen who experience homelessness in Australia often have complex health and social issues, including the trimorbidity of concurrent mental illness, substance use disorders and physical health conditions. These men tend to have poor health outcomes, and present challenges to healthcare systems. To improve system responsiveness and patient outcomes, the perspectives of marginalised groups need to be understood. MethodsFive focus groups were conducted with 20 men in a homeless men’s hostel, exploring their experiences of seeking and receiving health care, and views about improving these. An inductive thematic analysis was undertaken. ResultsSeveral participants expressed gratitude for care provided for life-threatening physical illness and trauma. However, negative experiences of health system responses were more frequently reported. Four emerging themes all made securing effective ‘tickets of entry’ to health care more difficult: dismissive care, care fragmentation, inconsistent medical management of pain and inadequate acknowledgement of psychological distress. ConclusionsImprovements are needed in care integration and the de-escalation of potentially confrontational interactions. Effective, safe and compassionate system responses to presentations of psychological distress and pain should be collaboratively developed. Some current responses may entrench stigma, further traumatising vulnerable patients. What is known about the topic?Men who experience homelessness have poor health outcomes and present challenges to healthcare systems. What does this paper add?This paper describes healthcare experiences and insights of men who are experiencing homelessness in Australia. These men reported experiencing dismissive care, care fragmentation, inconsistent, inadequate and/or unsafe prescribing for pain and inconsistent and/or ineffective responses to psychological distress. What are the implications for practitioners?Changes are needed in health system responses, informed by the experiences and insights of marginalised people, to break cycles of trauma and exclusion.

scholarly journals Health Inequalities in the Diverse World of Self-Employment: A Swedish National Cohort Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (23) ◽  
pp. 12301
Author(s):  
Karl Gauffin ◽  
Andrea Dunlavy
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Health Inequalities ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Employment Status ◽  
The Self ◽  
Poor Health ◽  
Self Employment ◽  
Regular Employment ◽  
National Cohort ◽  
The Relationship

With labor being a central social determinant of health, there is an increasing need to investigate health inequalities within the heterogenous and growing population in self-employment. This study aimed to longitudinally investigate the relationship between income level, self-employment status and multiple work-related health indicators in a Swedish national cohort (n = 3,530,309). The study investigated the relationship between self-employment status and health outcomes later in life. All poor health outcomes, with the exception of alcohol-related disorders, were more common in the self-employed population, compared to the group in regular employment. The income gradient, however, was more pronounced in the group with regular employment than the groups in self-employment. The study found clear connections between low income and poor health in all employment groups, but the gradient was more pronounced in the group in regular employment. This suggests that income has a weaker connection to other types of health promoting resources in the self-employed population. Potentially, lacking social and public support could make it difficult for unhealthy individuals to maintain low-income self-employment over a longer time period.

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