Interventions to reduce sedentary behavior and increase physical activity during productive work: a systematic review

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Behavioral Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Sedentary behavior (SB) and physical activity (PA) levels significantly impact worker health and productivity.
• Workplace interventions offer a promising avenue for improving population-level health behaviors.
• Many interventions are implemented during productive work time, necessitating a focus on feasibility and effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the effectiveness of workplace interventions designed to alter workers' SB and/or PA during productive work.
• To synthesize evidence on the impact of these interventions on primary outcomes (SB and PA) and secondary outcomes (work performance, health parameters).

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was conducted in Scopus for articles published from 1992 to March 2015.
• Studies were assessed using the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies.
• A best-evidence synthesis approach was employed to summarize findings.

Main Results:

• Forty studies encompassing 41 interventions were reviewed, categorized into alternative workstations, stair use promotion, and personalized behavioral interventions.
• Alternative workstations demonstrated strong evidence for decreasing overall SB.
• Interventions promoting stair use showed moderate evidence for increasing PA at work, while personalized behavioral interventions moderately increased overall PA.

Conclusions:

• Certain workplace interventions, compatible with productive work, show positive effects on SB and PA at work and overall.
• Alternative workstations and personalized behavioral interventions did not significantly impact hemodynamics, cardiorespiratory fitness, or anthropometric measures.
• Long-term effects of these interventions on health and performance remain to be established.