A Quantitative Evaluation of Electric Sit-Stand Desk Usage: 3-Month In-Situ Workplace Study

OCCUPATIONAL APPLICATIONS

Sit-stand desk interventions are deployed to reduce sedentary time and improve ergonomic adjustability in modern workplaces, with ultimate goals of improving health and productivity. Sit-stand desks, however, require workers to take an active role in changing the desk position, and usage compliance of the sit-stand function has been a challenge. This study used computer software to objectively record continuous data on electric sit-stand desk usage during computer use, to understand current desk usage behaviors in a large office environment involving ∼300 workers for 3 months. We found that workers completed roughly one desk position change per work day, and one-fourth of the workers always had the desk in a seated position (during computer use). The methods used here demonstrate a novel approach to record sit-stand desk usage continuously during active computer use.

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT Background: Office workers are an ideal target population to reduce sedentary time for desk-based jobs. Sit-stand desks can decrease occupational sitting time, but few methods of measurement exist, aside from self-report, when trying to determine desk usage patterns in naturalistic work environments or with a large sample size. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to use a novel approach to determine current electric sit-stand desk usage among office workers who had an electric sit-stand desk for at least one year. Methods: The study integrated electric sit-stand desks with computer software to measure continuous data on the time desks were in a sitting or standing position during active computer use. Data were obtained from 364 workers in a government office, and the primary outcome measure was the frequency of desk position changes. A secondary measure was the duration that desks were in a sitting or standing position during active computer use. Results: Workers completed a mean (SD) of 1.29 (1.91) desk position change per work day. Overall, 43% of the workers either changed their desk position once or twice a week, once a month, or never. In a given workday, workers had their desks in a seated position for a majority of the time (∼89%) and in a standing position for the remaining time (∼11%). Conclusions: Most workers used the sit-stand function of the desk rarely, if at all, and the desk was in the seated position for majority of the time during computer use. The methods and outcomes described here can serve as a reference for future studies to measure sit-stand desk usage and to determine if interventions to increase usage are successful.

KEYWORDS:

• Sedentary behavior
• physical activity
• active computer use
• prolonged sitting

Additional information

Funding

 This project was funded in part by the Office Ergonomics Research Committee Grant #M1501491, Linak^®, and Wellnomics LTD.