title: Treadmill desks: A 1-year prospective trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Sedentariness is associated with weight gain and obesity. A treadmill desk is the combination of a standing desk and a treadmill that allow employees to work while walking at low speed.
  
  
  METHODS
  The hypothesis was that a 1-year intervention with treadmill desks is associated with an increase in employee daily physical activity (summation of all activity per minute) and a decrease in daily sedentary time (zero activity). Employees (n = 36; 25 women, 11 men) with sedentary jobs (87 ± 27 kg, BMI 29 ± 7 kg/m(2) , n = 10 Lean BMI < 25 kg/m(2) , n = 15 Overweight 25 < BMI < 30 kg/m(2) , n = 11 Obese BMI > 30 kg/m(2) ) volunteered to have their traditional desk replaced with a treadmill desk to promote physical activity for 1 year.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Daily physical activity (using accelerometers), work performance, body composition, and blood variables were measured at Baseline and 6 and 12 months after the treadmill desk intervention. Subjects who used the treadmill desk increased daily physical activity from baseline 3,353 ± 1,802 activity units (AU)/day to, at 6 months, 4,460 ± 2,376 AU/day (P < 0.001), and at 12 months, 4,205 ± 2,238 AU/day (P < 0.001). Access to the treadmill desks was associated with significant decreases in daily sedentary time (zero activity) from at baseline 1,020 ± 75 min/day to, at 6 months, 929 ± 84 min/day (P < 0.001), and at 12 months, 978 ± 95 min/day (P < 0.001). For the whole group, weight loss averaged 1.4 ± 3.3 kg (P < 0.05). Weight loss for obese subjects was 2.3 ± 3.5 kg (P < 0.03). Access to the treadmill desks was associated with increased daily physical activity compared to traditional chair-based desks; their deployment was not associated with altered performance. For the 36 participants, fat mass did not change significantly, however, those who lost weight (n = 22) lost 3.4 ± 5.4 kg (P < 0.001) of fat mass. Weight loss was greatest in people with obesity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Access to treadmill desks may improve the health of office workers without affecting work performance.
authors: Endocrine Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
authors: Gabriel A
authors: GA
authors: Koepp
authors: Chinmay U
authors: CU
authors: Manohar
authors: Shelly K
authors: SK
authors: McCrady-Spitzer
authors: Avner
authors: A
authors: Ben-Ner
authors: Darla J
authors: DJ
authors: Hamann
authors: Carlisle F
authors: CF
authors: Runge
authors: James A
authors: JA
authors: Levine
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001823:Body Composition; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007374:Interior Design and Furnishings / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D009765:Obesity / Q000628:therapy; D050177:Overweight / Q000628:therapy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D016138:Walking; D015430:Weight Gain; D015431:Weight Loss
chemical_list: D014280:Triglycerides; D002784:Cholesterol