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Workout at work: laboratory test of psychological and performance outcomes of active workstations.

Journal of occupational health psychology
April 1, 2015
Michael Sliter et al. (2 authors)
Journal ArticleRandomized Controlled TrialHuman StudyClinical
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to evaluate the psychological and performance benefits of walking workstations compared to other workstation types in a workplace setting.

Results Summary

Participants using walking workstations reported higher satisfaction and arousal, and lower boredom and stress compared to passive workstations. Cycling workstations showed reduced satisfaction and performance, while BMI and exercise habits did not moderate these effects.

Population

Office workers (n = 180)

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (6)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
walking workstations
increase
satisfaction
participants in the walking condition
-
had higher satisfaction
#1
walking workstations
increase
arousal
participants in the walking condition
-
had higher arousal
#2
walking workstations
decrease
boredom
participants in the walking condition
-
experienced less boredom
#3
walking workstations
decrease
stress
participants in the walking condition
-
experienced less stress
#4
cycling workstations
decrease
satisfaction
-
-
tended to relate to reduced satisfaction
#5
cycling workstations
decrease
performance
-
-
tended to relate to reduced performance
#6
Abstract

With growing concerns over the obesity epidemic in the United States and other developed countries, many organizations have taken steps to incorporate healthy workplace practices. However, most workers are still sedentary throughout the day--a major contributor to individual weight gain. The current study sought to gather preliminary evidence of the efficacy of active workstations, which are a possible intervention that could increase employees' physical activity while they are working. We conducted an experimental study, in which boredom, task satisfaction, stress, arousal, and performance were evaluated and compared across 4 randomly assigned conditions: seated workstation, standing workstation, cycling workstation, and walking workstation. Additionally, body mass index (BMI) and exercise habits were examined as moderators to determine whether differences in these variables would relate to increased benefits in active conditions. The results (n = 180) showed general support for the benefits of walking workstations, whereby participants in the walking condition had higher satisfaction and arousal and experienced less boredom and stress than those in the passive conditions. Cycling workstations, on the other hand, tended to relate to reduced satisfaction and performance when compared with other conditions. The moderators did not impact these relationships, indicating that walking workstations might have psychological benefits to individuals, regardless of BMI and exercise habits. The results of this study are a preliminary step in understanding the work implications of active workstations.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
ArousalBody Mass IndexBoredomExerciseFemaleHumansJob SatisfactionMaleMotor ActivityOccupational HealthPostureSedentary BehaviorStress, PsychologicalWalkingWorkplaceYoung Adult
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy85/10
Quality75/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations31
Citations/Year3.1
Relative Citation Ratio1.88
NIH Percentile72.6%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.50
Weight Score1.73
Normalized Score0.69
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