title: Repetitive daily point of choice prompts and occupational sit-stand transfers, concentration and neuromuscular performance in office workers: an RCT.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Prolonged office sitting time adversely affects neuromuscular and cardiovascular health parameters. As a consequence, the present study investigated the effects of prompting the use of height-adjustable working desk (HAWD) on occupational sitting and standing time, neuromuscular outcomes and concentration in office workers.
  
  
  METHODS
  A single-blinded randomized controlled trial (RCT) with parallel group design was conducted. Thirty-eight office workers were supplied with HAWDs and randomly assigned (Strata: physical activity (PA), BMI, gender, workload) to a prompt (INT) or non-prompt (CON) group. INT received three daily screen-based prompts within 12 weeks. CON was only instructed once concerning the benefits of using HAWDs prior to the start of the study. Sitting and standing times were objectively assessed as primary outcomes for one entire working week using the ActiGraph wGT3X-BT at baseline (pre), after 6 (mid) and 12 weeks (post). Concentration (d2-test), postural sway during upright stance (under single, dual and triple task) and lower limb strength endurance (heel-rise) were collected as secondary outcomes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  With large but not statistically significant within group effects from pre to post, INT increased weekly standing time at work by 9% (p = 0.22, d = 0.8) representing an increase from 7.2 h (4.8) to 9.7 (6.6) h (p = 0.07). Concentration and neuromuscular performance did not change from pre to post testing (0.23 < p < 0.95; 0.001 < ηp² < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Low-frequent and low cost screen-based point of choice prompts (3 per day within 12 weeks) already result in notable increases of occupational standing time of approx. daily 30 min. These stimuli, however, did not relevantly affect neuromuscular outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, 4052 Basel, Switzerland. lars.donath@unibas.ch.
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Donath
authors.affiliation: Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, 4052 Basel, Switzerland. oliver.faude@unibas.ch.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Faude
authors.affiliation: Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, 4052 Basel, Switzerland. yannick.schefer@stud.unibas.ch.
authors.forename: Yannick
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Schefer
authors.affiliation: Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, 4052 Basel, Switzerland. ralf.roth@unibas.ch.
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Roth
authors.affiliation: Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, 4052 Basel, Switzerland. lukas.zahner@unibas.ch.
authors.forename: Lukas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zahner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D002755:Choice Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D035002:Lower Extremity / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010807:Physical Endurance; D011187:Posture; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D014937:Work; D017132:Workplace