Reducing occupational sitting: Workers’ perspectives on participation in a multi-component intervention

Abstract

BackgroundOffice workers spend much of their time sitting, which is now understood to be a risk factor for several chronic diseases. This qualitative study examined participants’ perspectives following their involvement in a cluster randomised controlled trial of a multi-component intervention targeting prolonged workplace sitting (Stand Up Victoria). The intervention incorporated a sit-stand workstation, individual health coaching and organisational support strategies. The aim of the study was to explore the acceptability of the intervention, barriers and facilitators to reducing workplace sitting, and perceived effects of the intervention on workplace culture, productivity and health-related outcomes.MethodsSemi-structured interviews (n = 21 participants) and two focus groups (n = 7) were conducted with intervention participants at the conclusion of the 12 month trial and thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Questions covered intervention acceptability, overall impact, barriers and facilitators to reducing workplace sitting, and perceived impact on productivity and workplace culture.ResultsOverall, participants had positive intervention experiences, perceiving that reductions in workplace sitting were associated with improved health and well-being with limited negative impact on work performance. While sit-stand workstations appeared to be the primary drivers of change, workstation design and limited suitability of standing for some job tasks and situations were perceived as barriers to their use. Social support from team leaders and other participants was perceived to facilitate behavioural changes and a shift in norms towards increased acceptance of standing in the workplace.ConclusionsMulti-component interventions to reduce workplace sitting, incorporating sit-stand workstations, are acceptable and feasible; however, supportive social and environmental conditions are required to support participant engagement. Best practice approaches to reduce workplace sitting should address the multiple levels of influence on behaviour, including factors that may act as barriers to behavioural change.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12966-017-0530-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Should We Scale-Up? A Mixed Methods Process Evaluation of an Intervention Targeting Sedentary Office Workers Using the RE-AIM QuEST Framework

“…Concentration and focus on work tasks were a barrier to change in the intervention. This aligns with the results from several other studies [34,35], and suggests that office workers associate specific levels of concentration and focus needed to complete tasks, with sitting. It is unclear how this barrier could be addressed in a scaled-up intervention, and more research may be needed to understand the nature of this association.…”

Perceptions of the acceptability and feasibility of reducing occupational sitting: review and thematic synthesis

“… - Involvement of co-workers in strategies helped to normalise standing/moving more - Managers providing permission - Management leading by example - Workplace champion driving change Management permission: As soon as managers say, “ If you want to stand, feel free to, ” you can guarantee it there ’ ll be people immediately that will stand because managers have given them that permission to do it and therefore they ’ ve got the permission from everyone else to do it. Employee, intervention study [ 33 ] Environmental Barriers Barriers - Most furniture designed for sitting - Ergonomic issues with standing arrangements - Lack of common spaces away from desk - Stairs difficult to access/ - Lifts more convenient than stairs - Close proximity to co-workers – potential for disturbing others - Communal facilities close to desks - Lack of supportive facilities for activity (e.g. clothes iron) - Weather (heat) as a potential barrier to walking - Activity-permissive workstations: issues with design (see strategy-specific barriers) - Open plan office: distractions, privacy issues - Weather (cold, rain) as barrier to walking Furniture designed for sitting: “ You really need higher tables to take notes or to take a look at your papers, you need to have these facilities otherwise people will sit if they have the opportunity ” Executive, non-intervention study [ 13 ] Facilitators Facilitators - Provision of sit-stand workstations - Spaces within the building where people can go to take a break - Communal facilities (e.g.…”

Assessing the Feasibility and Pre-Post Impact Evaluation of the Beta (Test) Version of the BeUpstanding Champion Toolkit in Reducing Workplace Sitting: Pilot Study (Preprint)

“…The key adaption was the transfer of intervention implementation and evaluation from the research team to a workplace champion. This "train the champion" approach recognises that workplace champions, as the role models and drivers, are critical for successful and sustainable workplace change [11][12][13]. Notably, the translation of the Stand Up Australia intervention into a scalable and sustainable workplace health and safety program involves multiple phases [14].…”