Efficacy of a Combined Ergonomic Health Promotion Intervention on Employee Health

University of Iowa

Status: Completed

Conditions: Sedentary; Overweight

Treatments: Behavioral: Email Intervention; Behavioral: Active Workstation Intervention; Device: Bluetooth enabled device (Wahoo Fitness Blue SC sensor) and accompanying iPod application.; Behavioral: Ergonomic Intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02071420

201306711

Details and patient eligibility

About

Our objective in this pilot study is to test the combined effect of a) replacing office workers' sedentary workstations with active workstations (LifeBalance Station) and b) optimizing computer workstation ergonomics on daily occupational sedentary time, cardiometabolic risk factors, musculoskeletal symptom health outcomes and work productivity.

Full description

Primary Aim: To compare the effects of providing sedentary employees with seated active workstations in combination with an ergonomic intervention and regular motivational emails (experimental group) against the ergonomic intervention and regular emails only (active control group) on occupational sedentary behavior over 16 weeks.

Hypothesis: The addition of a seated active workstation will result in significant reductions in daily occupational sedentary time compared to the active control group.

Secondary Aims: To compare the effects of the experimental group against the active control group on secondary measures of cardiometabolic disease risk factors, musculoskeletal discomfort, cognitive function and work productivity.

Hypothesis 1: The experimental group will result in reduced cardiometabolic disease risk, musculoskeletal discomfort and work limitations compared to the active control group.

Enrollment: 60 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 65 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• We will recruit overweight/obese (body mass index 25.0-40.0 kg/m2) adults (18-65 years) working in full-time (minimum 35 hours/week), sedentary (self-report sitting >75% work time) occupations at an independent work site.

Exclusion criteria

• Working in an office that will not meet the space or electrical requirements of the active workstation, acute or chronic illness not under treatment of a provider, orthopedic limitations that prohibit physical activity, current or planned pregnancy, hospitalization from a physical or mental disorder in the past six months and/or taking medication that may impair physical activity

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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60 participants in 2 patient groups

Experimental Group

Experimental group

Description:

This group will receive the seated active workstation intervention, the ergonomic intervention and the email intervention for 16 weeks.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Active Workstation Intervention

Device: Bluetooth enabled device (Wahoo Fitness Blue SC sensor) and accompanying iPod application.

Behavioral: Email Intervention

Behavioral: Ergonomic Intervention

Active Control

Active Comparator group

Description:

This group will receive the ergonomic intervention and email intervention only for 16 weeks. This group will not receive a seated active workstation.

Treatment:

Device: Bluetooth enabled device (Wahoo Fitness Blue SC sensor) and accompanying iPod application.

Behavioral: Email Intervention

Behavioral: Ergonomic Intervention