Bike Desks in the Office: Physical Health, Cognitive Function, Work Engagement, and Work Performance
Tine Torbeyns1, Bas de Geus, Stephen Bailey
1Human Physiology Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium (Ms Torbeyns, Dr de Geus, Dr De Pauw, Ms Decroix, Mr Van Cutsem, Dr Meeusen); Department of Physical Therapy Education, Elon University, Elon, North Carolina (Dr Bailey); and School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville City, Queensland, Australia (Dr Meeusen).
Objective:
The aim of this study was to examine the longitudinal effect of implementing bike desks in an office setting on physical health, cognition, and work parameters.
Methods:
Physical health, cognitive function, work engagement, and work performance measured before (T0) and after (T2) the intervention period were compared between office workers who used the bike desk (IG, n = 22) and those who did not (CG, n = 16).
Results:
The IG cycled approximately 98 minutes/week. The IG showed a significantly lower fat percentage and a trend toward a higher work engagement at T2 relative to T0, while this was not different for the CG. No effects on other parameters of health, cognition, or work performance were found.
Conclusions:
Providing bike desks in the office positively influences employees' fat percentage and could positively influence work engagement without compromising work performance.
