Does the use of standing 'hot' desks change sedentary work time in an open plan office?

Nicholas D. Gilson*, Alessandro Suppini, Gemma C. Ryde, Helen E. Brown, Wendy J. Brown

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

75 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Objective: This study assessed the use of standing 'hot' desks in an open plan office and their impact on sedentary work time. Method: Australian employees (n=11; 46.9 [9.8] years; BMI 25.9 [3.5kg/m 2]) wore an armband accelerometer for two consecutive working weeks (November-December 2010). In the second week, employees were encouraged to use a pod of four standing 'hot' desks to stand and work as often as possible. Desk use was recorded using time logs. The percentages of daily work time spent in sedentary (<1.6 METs), light (1.6-3.0 METs) and moderate+ (>3 METs) intensity categories were calculated for each week, relative to the total daily time at work. Paired sample t tests were used to compare weekly differences. Results: Employees spent 8:09 ± 0:31 h/day at work and 'hot' desk use ranged from zero to 9:35. h for the week. There were no significant changes in mean time spent in sedentary (difference of - 0.1%), light (difference of 0.8%) and moderate. + (- 0.7%) intensity categories. However, individual changes in sedentary work time ranged from - 5.9 to 6.4%. Conclusions: Volitional use of standing 'hot' desks varied and while individual changes were apparent, desk use did not alter overall sedentary work time in this sample.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)65-67
Number of pages3
JournalPreventive Medicine
Volume54
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2012
Externally publishedYes

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