Point-of-Choice Prompts to Reduce Prolonged Sitting Time at Work

Glasgow Caledonian University

Status and phase: Completed; Phase 1

Conditions: Adult Office Workers

Treatments: Device: MyRestBreak 1.0; Behavioral: education talk and leaflet

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01628861

200813897

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to determine whether an on-screen prompt put on the work computer every 30 minutes is effective in getting office workers to reduce prolonged periods of sitting at work.

Full description

Prolonged bouts of uninterrupted time spent sitting is associated with indicators of poor health, independent of how physically active a person is. Many occupations are now sedentary, and are characterised by long periods spent sitting at a desk. Brief education on the benefits of standing regularly and breaking up prolonged sitting will be provided to participants, working at a Scottish University. One intervention group will additionally have software installed on their work computer which placed a prompt window in the centre of their screen for 1 minute every 30 minutes. The prompt will remind participants to stand-up and take a break, and the window cannot be removed or minimised.

Enrollment: 30 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 65 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Employee of Glasgow Caledonian University
• Aged between 18 and 65 years
• Self-reported desk-based occupation
• Informed written consent provided
• Ability to stand unassisted

Exclusion criteria

• Any musculoskeletal condition which limits ability to stand regularly

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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30 participants in 2 patient groups

education only

Active Comparator group

Description:

A short educational talk, read from a script, regarding the health risks of prolonged sitting, stating that standing every 30 minutes could be beneficial. A short information leaflet with the same message is also provided.

Treatment:

Behavioral: education talk and leaflet

prompt + education

Experimental group

Description:

A short educational talk, read from a script, regarding the health risks of prolonged sitting, stating that standing every 30 minutes could be beneficial. A short information leaflet with the same message is also provided. Prompting software (MyRestBreak 1.0 copyright Vikram Sharma) will be installed on the work computer. A prompt with the message "stand up, take a break" is placed on the screen of the work computer for 1 minutes every 30 minutes, from the time the computer is switched on in the morning. The prompt is contained in a window 11x9 cm in the centre of the screen. The prompt cannot be removed or minimised, but work can continue in any windows visible around the prompt. The prompt is on the computer for 5 days.

Treatment:

Device: MyRestBreak 1.0

Behavioral: education talk and leaflet