The “Worktivity” mHealth intervention to reduce sedentary behaviour in the workplace: a feasibility cluster randomised controlled pilot study

Abstract

Background Office work generally consists of high amounts of sedentary behaviour (SB) which has been associated with negative health consequences. We developed the “WorktivIty” mobile app to help office workers reduce their SB through self-monitoring and feedback on sedentary time, prompts to break sedentary time, and educational facts. The aim of this paper is to report the feasibility of delivering the Worktivity intervention to desk-based office workers in the workplace setting and describe methodological considerations for a future trial. Methods We conducted a three-arm feasibility cluster randomised controlled pilot study over an 8-week period with full time-desk based employees. Clustered randomisation was to one of three groups: Worktivity mobile app (MA; n = 20), Worktivity mobile app plus SSWD (MA+SSWD; n = 20), or Control (C; n = 16). Feasibility was assessed using measures of recruitment and retention, intervention engagement, intervention delivery, completion rates and usable data, adverse events, and acceptability. Results Recruitment of companies to participate in this study was challenging (8% of those contacted), but retention of individual participants within the recruited groups was high (81% C, 90% MA + SSWD, 95% MA). Office workers’ engagement with the app was moderate (on average 59%). Intervention delivery was partially compromised due to diminishing user engagement and technical issues related to educational fact delivery. Sufficient amounts of useable data were collected, however either missing or unusable data were observed with activPAL™, with data loss increasing at each follow up time point. No serious adverse events were identified during the study. The majority of participants agreed that the intervention could be implemented within the workplace setting (65% MA; 72% MA + SSWD) but overall satisfaction with the intervention was modest (58% MA; 39% MA + SSWD). Conclusions The findings suggest that, in principle, it is feasible to implement a mobile app-based intervention in the workplace setting however the Worktivity intervention requires further technical refinements before moving to effectiveness trials. Challenges relating to the initial recruitment of workplaces and maintaining user engagement with the mHealth intervention over time need to be addressed prior to future large-scale implementation. Further research is needed to identify how best to overcome these challenges.

Expert Perspectives on Pilot and Feasibility Studies: A Delphi Study and Consolidation of Considerations for Behavioral Interventions

“… 125 – 127 This information can be used to reduce participant burden and costs associated with data collection as well as refine protocols in the larger-scale trial. 128 – 136 …”

“…However, we recognize researchers can and do use terms referring to preliminary studies interchangeably or utilize a combination of them to describe a single study. 79 , 136 , 167 , 203 – 214 In absence of universal consensus of terms, it is recommended investigators clearly label their PFS with one or more widely used terms that identifies the preliminary nature of the study. These terms could include “pilot”, “feasibility”, “proof-of-concept”, “preliminary”, “evidentiary”, “vanguard”, and/or “exploratory”.…”

Effective management of sedentary behavior among Indian university students: An empirical exploration into health-related behavior

“…[ 44 45 ] Technological interventions have demonstrated their potential in promoting physical activity and well-being across clinical populations and mixed populations. [ 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 ] These interventions have shown promise in addressing a spectrum of health conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and mental health disorders, by facilitating behavior change and encouraging active lifestyles.…”

“…An increase in remote studies, which were conducted to implement management strategies for sedentary behavior, was observed. [ 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 ] Given the notable rise in sedentary behaviors and the increasing prevalence of obesity,[ 71 ] there is a compelling need for research on interventions that promote active and healthier lifestyles. Continual research is warranted to regularly update the data pertaining to the physical activity levels of school-age children, adolescents, and adults, as well as their respective sedentary behaviors.…”

Consolidated guidance for behavioral intervention pilot and feasibility studies

“…Additional metrics associated with the feasibility of measurement and data collection may include determining rates of missing data, participant response rates, and any time/resource costs associated with data collection [125][126][127]. This information can be used to reduce participant burden and costs associated with data collection as well as refine protocols in the larger-scale trial [128][129][130][131][132][133][134][135][136].…”