Can an adjustable workstation reduce occupational sedentary time?

ISRCTN	ISRCTN43848163
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN43848163
Secondary identifying numbers	N/A

Submission date: 13/11/2013
Registration date: 09/12/2013
Last edited: 22/01/2019

Recruitment status: No longer recruiting
Overall study status: Completed
Condition category: Musculoskeletal Diseases

Prospectively registered

Protocol

Statistical analysis plan

Results

Individual participant data

Plain English summary of protocol

Background and study aims
Adjustable workstations offer a potential strategy to decrease prolonged sitting time and break long inactivity in sedentary work. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of sit-stand workstations on occupational sedentary time, health outcomes and work ability, and their usability in visual display unit (VDU) work.

Who can participate?
Employees of the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Finland. In September 2012 part of the faculty personnel moved to a renovated building which was furnished with electrically adjustable workstations. Prior to this move, they worked in similarly furnished offices as the faculty members who continued to work in the original buildings, which were equipped with traditional sitting VDU workstations.

What does the study involve?
All faculty employees (n=170) were invited to fill out a questionnaire between August-September 2012 and again in February 2013. Individuals who moved to the renovated building comprised the intervention group (n=23). They used electrically adjustable workstations (ISKU, Finland) during the 6 month intervention period. No other instructions or counseling were given. Faculty personnel who worked in other buildings formed the control group (n=20) and used their original workstations throughout the study.

What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Adjustable workstations offer a potential strategy to reduce prolonged sitting in sedentary
work.
There is a risk that recruiting enough subjects is difficult, but we have made the study simple which makes participation more attractive. Further, to find workplaces that have or are in the process of purchasing electrically adjustable workstations we will approach both workplaces and manufacturers in order to obtain enough subjects for the intervention study.

Where is the study run from?
This study was carried out at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Finland

When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
August 2012 to February 2013

Who is funding the study?
University of Jyväskylä (Finland). PhD student is supported by China Scholarship Council (CSC).

Who is the main contact?
Prof. Taija Juutinen Finni
taija.finni@jyu.fi

Contact information

Prof Taija Juutinen Finni
Scientific

PO Box 35
Jyväskylä
40014
Finland

Study information

Study design	Controlled intervention with one intervention group and one control group
Primary study design	Interventional
Secondary study design	Non randomised controlled trial
Study setting(s)	Other
Study type	Quality of life
Participant information sheet	Not available in web format, please use the contact details provided in the Interventions field to request a patient information sheet
Scientific title	Can an adjustable workstation reduce occupational sedentary time: a controlled intervention study
Study objectives	1. It is hypothesized that the intervention-induced changes will be positively associated with reduced occupational sedentary time in a real workplace. 2. The sit-stand workstations offer the possibility to improve health indexes and improve work ability. 3. There is a high usability of the sit-stand workstations in visual display unit (VDU) work.
Ethics approval(s)	Ethics Committee of University of Jyväskylä, 19/10/2012
Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied	Ergonomics interventions on sedentary work
Intervention	1. Intervention group: all faculty employees who moved to the renovated building comprised the intervention group. The intervention group used electrically adjustable workstations during the 6-month intervention period. They were given brief verbal instructions on how to operate the workstation without other instructions or counseling. 2. Control group: faculty personnel who worked in other buildings formed the control group and used their original workstations throughout the study.
Intervention type	Other
Primary outcome measure	Occupational sedentary time in VDU work: values correspond to the percentage of work time spent sitting and standing, the percentage of computer work time spent sitting and standing, and average leisure sitting time. Measured at baseline and at 6 months.
Secondary outcome measures	Measured at baseline and at 6 months: 1. Health and work-related outcomes: mean perceived musculoskeletal comfort for different body parts and mean perceived work ability 2. In the intervention group, self-reported usability of the sit-stand workstation including adjustability, satisfaction and usage level of sit-stand function
Overall study start date	01/08/2012
Completion date	28/02/2013

Eligibility

Participant type(s)	Patient
Age group	Adult
Sex	Both
Target number of participants	170 faculty employees
Key inclusion criteria	1. All faculty employees (researchers, teachers, administrative workers, assistants, professors and technical workers) 2. Ambulatory 3. Non-pregnant 4. ≥0.8 full-time equivalent
Key exclusion criteria	1. Self-reported chronic, long-term musculoskeletal disease or progressive neurological disease 2. Diagnosed cardiovascular or metabolic disease with regular medication
Date of first enrolment	01/08/2012
Date of final enrolment	28/02/2013

Locations

Countries of recruitment

Finland

Study participating centre

PO Box 35

Jyväskylä
40014
Finland

Sponsor information

University of Jyväskylä (Finland)
University/education

Neuromuscular Research Center
Department of Biology of Physical Activity
PO Box 35
Jyväskylä
40014
Finland

Website	https://www.jyu.fi/en
"ROR"	https://ror.org/05n3dz165

Funders

Funder type

University/education

China Scholarship Council (China) (No. 201206320092)
Government organisation / National government

Alternative name(s): CSC
Location: China

University of Jyväskylä (Finland) was responsible for expenses of the environmental intervention

No information available

Results and Publications

Intention to publish date
Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share	No
IPD sharing plan summary	Not provided at time of registration
Publication and dissemination plan	Not provided at time of registration
IPD sharing plan

Study outputs

Output type	Details	Date created	Date added	Peer reviewed?	Patient-facing?
Results article	results	01/09/2016	22/01/2019	Yes	No

Editorial Notes

22/01/2019: Publication reference added