Sustainable Lifestyle Among Office Workers (the SOFIA Study): Protocol for a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Environmental Health
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Rising rates of lifestyle- and age-related diseases pose significant public health challenges.
• Global climate change and environmental degradation necessitate sustainable lifestyle choices.
• Office workers, often sedentary, represent a large segment of the workforce requiring targeted health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate if sustainable lifestyle information promotes better dietary habits and physical activity compared to standard health recommendations.
• To investigate the workplace as a setting for health promotion, especially for sedentary office workers.
• To address the societal need for interventions that link individual health with environmental sustainability.

Main Methods:

• A 2-arm, cluster randomized controlled trial (Sustainable Office Intervention - SOFIA study) involving 33 office workers.
• Intervention arms utilize the behavior change wheel method, focusing on individual behavior and organizational factors.
• Citizen science methodology is employed, with participants collecting data via the Stanford Our Voice Discovery Tool app.

Main Results:

• Participant recruitment and data collection commenced in August 2022.
• As of June 2024, 37 participants have been recruited.
• Pilot phase results are anticipated for publication in 2024 or 2025.

Conclusions:

• A sustainable lifestyle among office workers can help counteract the trends of climate change and metabolic diseases.
• Worksite-based randomized controlled trials are crucial for assessing the impact of sustainable lifestyles on diet, activity, and environmental factors.
• The study addresses multilevel aspects, including individual, environmental, and organizational changes for successful sustainable habit implementation in offices.