Office job sitting demand scale: Evidence of construct and predictive validity

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health Psychology
• Organizational Behavior
• Ergonomics

Background:

• Sedentary behavior is a growing concern in office environments.
• Existing measures may not fully capture the demands of prolonged sitting in jobs.
• Job Demands-Resources theory provides a framework for understanding workplace stressors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a new scale for assessing office job sitting demand.
• To examine the relationship between job sitting demand and employee well-being.
• To provide a reliable instrument for identifying and mitigating health risks associated with prolonged sitting.

Main Methods:

• Development of the Office Job Sitting Demand scale using exploratory factor analysis (Study 1).
• Validation of the scale's factorial validity, measurement invariance, convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity using confirmatory factor analysis (Study 2).
• Two independent samples (N=252 and N=248) were utilized for scale development and validation.

Main Results:

• The Office Job Sitting Demand scale demonstrated strong validity and reliability.
• Significant positive associations were found between job sitting demand and exhaustion, work pressure, and musculoskeletal complaints.
• No significant associations were found with proactive vitality management and relaxation, indicating discriminant validity.

Conclusions:

• The newly developed Office Job Sitting Demand scale is a valid and reliable instrument.
• It can be effectively used to assess a significant job demand in office settings.
• The scale aids in understanding the link between workplace sitting and employee health, facilitating the prevention of burnout and health complaints.