title: Evaluation of sit-stand workstations in an office setting: a randomised controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Excessive sitting time is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease mortality and morbidity independent of physical activity. This aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a sit-stand workstation on sitting time, and vascular, metabolic and musculoskeletal outcomes in office workers, and to investigate workstation acceptability and feasibility.
  
  
  METHODS
  A two-arm, parallel-group, individually randomised controlled trial was conducted in one organisation. Participants were asymptomatic full-time office workers aged ≥18 years. Each participant in the intervention arm had a sit-stand workstation installed on their workplace desk for 8 weeks. Participants in the control arm received no intervention. The primary outcome was workplace sitting time, assessed at 0, 4 and 8 weeks by an ecological momentary assessment diary. Secondary behavioural, cardiometabolic and musculoskeletal outcomes were assessed. Acceptability and feasibility were assessed via questionnaire and interview. ANCOVA and magnitude-based inferences examined intervention effects relative to controls at 4 and 8 weeks. Participants and researchers were not blind to group allocation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-seven participants were randomised (intervention n = 26; control n = 21). Relative to the control group at 8 weeks, the intervention group had a beneficial decrease in sitting time (-80.2 min/8-h workday (95 % CI = -129.0, -31.4); p = 0.002), increase in standing time (72.9 min/8-h workday (21.2, 124.6); p = 0.007) and decrease in total cholesterol (-0.40 mmol/L  (-0.79, -0.003); p = 0.049). No harmful changes in musculoskeletal discomfort/pain were observed relative to controls, and beneficial changes in flow-mediated dilation and diastolic blood pressure were observed. Most participants self-reported that the workstation was easy to use and their work-related productivity did not decrease when using the device. Factors that negatively influenced workstation use were workstation design, the social environment, work tasks and habits.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Short-term use of a feasible sit-stand workstation reduced daily sitting time and led to beneficial improvements in cardiometabolic risk parameters in asymptomatic office workers. These findings imply that if the observed use of the sit-stand workstations continued over a longer duration, sit-stand workstations may have important ramifications for the prevention and reduction of cardiometabolic risk in a large proportion of the working population.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02496507 .
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Science, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK. l.e.graves@ljmu.ac.uk.|Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Science, Physical Activity Exchange, Liverpool John Moores University, 62 Great Crosshall Street, Liverpool, L3 2AT, UK. l.e.graves@ljmu.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Lee
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: E F Graves
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Science, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK. R.C.Murphy@ljmu.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: C Murphy
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Science, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK. S.Shepherd@ljmu.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Sam O
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Shepherd
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Science, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK. J.A.Cabot@2011.ljmu.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Josephine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cabot
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Science, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK. N.D.Hopkins@ljmu.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Nicola D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Hopkins
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001786:Blood Glucose; D003201:Computers; D004526:Efficiency; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059352:Musculoskeletal Pain / Q000453:epidemiology; D011187:Posture; D012307:Risk Factors; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D017132:Workplace
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D008055:Lipids