Combination of sitting and standing ‘may improve job performance’

Workstations that allow employees to combine sitting and standing while working on a computer may have a positive impact on job performance and on psychological health, a new study suggests.

The research published in The BMJ found that workers at three hospitals in Leicester who used the workstations for 12 months, on average, reduced their sitting time by more than an hour a day, "with potentially meaningful benefits".

High levels of sedentary behaviour have been associated with an increased risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, some cancers and death, the authors note.

Sitting for long periods has also been shown to be “detrimental for work related outcomes” such as feelings of engagement and so-called presenteeism (going to work despite illness).

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A team of researchers based in the UK, with collaborators in Australia, set out to evaluate the impact of Stand More At Work (Smart), an intervention designed to reduce sitting time in the workplace.

The trial involved 146 office workers based at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, of whom 77 were randomly assigned to the intervention group and 69 to the control group over the 12-month period.

The authors said the average age of participants was 41, with 78 per cent being of white European ethnicity, and the majority (80 per cent) were women.

“The intervention group were given a height adjustable workstation, a brief seminar with supporting leaflet, and workstation instructions with sitting and standing targets. They also received feedback on sitting and physical activity, an action-planning and goal-setting booklet, a self-monitoring and prompt tool, and coaching sessions. The control group carried on working as usual.”

Activity levels

Workers’ sitting time was measured using a device worn on their thigh at the start of the study and at three, six and 12 months. Their daily activity levels and questions about work, health, mood and quality of life were also recorded.

“At the start of the study, overall sitting time was 9.7 hours per day. The results show that sitting time was lower by 50.62 minutes per day at three months, 64.40 minutes per day at six months, and 82.39 minutes per day at 12 months in the intervention group compared with the control group. Prolonged sitting time was also reduced in the intervention group,” the study said.

“The reduction in sitting was largely replaced by time spent standing rather than moving, as stepping time and physical activity remained unchanged.”

The authors said the results also suggested improvements in job performance, work engagement, occupational fatigue, presenteeism, daily anxiety and quality of life, but that “no notable changes” were found for job satisfaction, cognitive function, and sickness absence.

The authors say this was a well-designed trial but they acknowledged their findings may not apply to other organisations, and that self-reporting of work related outcomes may have affected the results.

They suggested that future research should assess the longer-term health benefits of displacing sitting with standing and how best to promote movement rather than just standing while at work.