Stand up for your health: Rationale and design for a randomized controlled trial

Sedentary behavior is an independent risk factor for cardiometabolic disease. With the rise of desk-based occupations and work-from-home culture, the workplace offers a promising setting to employ interventions to reduce sedentary time.

The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to determine if reducing sedentary time with sit-stand desks improves cardiometabolic health outcomes in overweight and obese individuals with sedentary jobs who are at risk of developing diabetes.

Approximately 198 eligible participants (includes estimated 25% drop-out) with pre-diabetes or at-risk for type 2 diabetes will be randomized in a 1:1:1 ratio into three groups: a control group (no intervention), a 2-h group (instructed to stand at their sit-stand desks for at least 2 h daily), and a 3-h group (instructed to stand for at least 3 h daily). Each participant will complete three study visits over a 6-month period. The primary outcome is insulin resistance.

The potential impact of this study is significant, given that over 70% of the U.S. population is overweight or obese, and more than 80% of jobs are sedentary. Affirmative findings from our study would advance the field by demonstrating that an easily adoptable intervention can reduce cardiometabolic risk, providing justification for widespread implementation of standing desks in the workplace.

This randomized, control study will determine if reducing sedentary behavior at work, with an adjustable sit-stand desk, improves insulin resistance in individuals at risk for diabetes. This study may help inform public health guidelines benefitting a large population of sedentary workers. Clinical trial registration identifier: NCT05585190.