Validation of a smart chair and corresponding smartphone app as an objective measure of desk-based sitting

Abstract

Objectives This study evaluated the validity of a smart chair and corresponding smartphone app (chair&app) to measure sitting time and sitting interruptions against camera‐derived observation and activPAL. Methods Belgian deskbound university employees (n = 28, 17 women, mean age 30 ± 7.5 years, mean BMI 22.1 ± 2.0 kg/m 2 ) were provided with the chair&app in three conditions: a controlled condition (following a prescribed protocol), a free‐living condition (conducting usual office work for 2 hours), and an extended free‐living condition (conducting usual office work for three consecutive days). Total sitting time and the number of sitting interruptions were compared between the chair&app and criterion measures (camera observation and activPAL). Criterion validity was assessed using mean differences (95% CI) and intra‐class correlation coefficients (ICC; 95% CI). Results In the controlled condition, mean sitting time and number of sitting interruptions differed between chair&app and camera observation by 2.7 (−2.4, 7.9) minutes and −8.0 (−10.4, −5.6) interruptions, respectively. For the free‐living condition, there was good agreement between chair&app and camera observation for both sitting time (ICC: 0.74; 0.28, 0.93) and sitting interruptions (ICC: 0.68; 0.10, 0.91). For the extended free‐living condition, there was excellent agreement between chair&app and activPAL for sitting time (ICC: 0.89; 0.49, 0.97). Meanwhile, there was poor agreement between chair&app and activPAL for sitting interruptions (ICC: 0.38; −0.04, 0.70). Conclusions Chair&app generally provided reliable measures of desk‐based sitting. Consequently, chair&app might be useful as a self‐monitoring tool in the workplace context. Further research is needed to explore its usefulness in reducing adults’ desk‐based sitting.

Review of Measuring Microenvironmental Changes at the Body–Seat Interface and the Relationship between Object Measurement and Subjective Evaluation

“…With the rapid development of modern technology, noncontact measurements have been applied to seat comfort/discomfort evaluation such as radiography [ 96 ], ultrasonography [ 97 , 98 ] and MRI [ 99 , 100 , 101 ]. After installing specific apps, smart phones could be turned into portable sitting posture recorders, which could be used to study motion as traditional products once did [ 102 ].…”

Monitoring Occupational Sitting, Standing, and Stepping in Office Employees With the W@W-App and the MetaWearC Sensor: Validation Study

“…This is likely due to the ability of the W@W-App+MetaWearC to detect sitting and standing postures based on thigh acceleration. Recent studies have developed and validated self-monitoring devices that also provide real-time feedback on an integrated display, including the SitFit [ 32 ] or through a mobile phone app via Bluetooth synchronization such as the VitaBit [ 33 ] and Chair&App [ 34 ]. Similar to the findings presented here, the SitFit and Chair&App devices reported that sitting time was highly accurate when compared to the activPAL3M in free-living conditions.…”

Changes in dental hygiene students’ working posture following digital sound feedback

“…The correlation coefficient of the sensor reading with the tape measure of the distance between the sound notification sensor and the subject was 0.998 (Figure 1). 19…”

“…A method developed in 2019 of monitoring a user's posture in real time using a smartphone posture application stands out as a cost-effective and accessible solution because smartphones enable self-monitoring and are easy to access. [19][20][21] In addition, the use of digital sound feedback to promptly inform a user of unsafe posture and recognise dangerous postures to improve their self-awareness has been shown to be effective in maintaining a correct working posture in people working on computers 22 and health workers. 23 Therefore, this study aimed to observe changes in working posture by measuring the REBA (Rapid Entire Body Assessment) score of dental hygiene students according to digital sound feedback linked with a smartphone application.…”