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The impact of sit-stand office workstations on worker discomfort and productivity: A review
Abstract
This review examines the effectiveness of sit-stand workstations at reducing worker discomfort without causing a decrease in productivity. Four databases were searched for studies on sit-stand workstations, and five selection criteria were used to identify appropriate articles. Fourteen articles were identified that met at least three of the five selection criteria. Seven of the identified studies reported either local, whole body or both local and whole body subjective discomfort scores. Six of these studies indicated implementing sit-stand workstations in an office environment led to lower levels of reported subjective discomfort (three of which were statistically significant). Therefore, this review concluded that sit-stand workstations are likely effective in reducing perceived discomfort. Eight of the identified studies reported a productivity outcome. Three of these studies reported an increase in productivity during sit-stand work, four reported no affect on productivity, and one reported mixed productivity results. Therefore, this review concluded that sit-stand workstations do not cause a decrease in productivity.
... Productivity measures are relatively common in worksite-based, sedentary behavior studies; reviews have identified 20 studies that include some measure of productivity [14][15][16]. Some worksitebased intervention studies that addressed sedentary behavior have shown no effect on productivity [17,18], while others suggest an increase or perceived increase in productivity [19,20]. ...
... Reviews of this body of evidence suggest that, overall, interventions to reduce sedentary behavior do not significantly impact productivity. However, this body of research also suggests that additional investigation of the relationship between workplace sedentary behavior and productivity is warranted as the association between these two variables has not been consistent [14][15][16]. ...
... Our study's results are similar to those found by Puig-Ribera and colleagues, which also indicated no relationship between these variables among employees at a Spanish university [22]. Collectively, these studies may help to explain why workplace interventions that reduce sedentary behavior do not typically result in changes in productivity [14][15][16]. Moreover, these data may suggest that researchers as well as employers should not expect changes in productivity as a result of interventions that effectively reduce workplace sedentary behavior. ...
Reducing sedentary behavior in the workplace has become an important public health priority; however, some employers have expressed concerns regarding the potential for reduced productivity if employees are not seated while at work. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the relationship between workplace sedentary behavior (sitting time) and work productivity among full-time office-based employees, and further to investigate other potential factors associated with productivity. A 19-item online self-report survey was completed by 2068 government employees in Kansas. The survey assessed workplace sedentary behavior, work productivity, job satisfaction, and fatigue. Overall, office workers reported high levels of sedentary time (mean > 78%). The primary results indicated that sitting time was not significantly associated with productivity (β = 0.013, p = 0.519), but job satisfaction and fatigue were positively (β = 0.473, p < 0.001) and negatively (β = −0.047, p = 0.023) associated with productivity, respectively. Furthermore, participants with the highest level of sitting time (>91% of the time) reported lower job satisfaction and greater fatigue as compared with the lowest level of sitting time (<75% of the time). Taken together, these results offer promising support that less sitting time is associated with positive outcomes that do not seem to come at the expense of productivity.
... Sit-stand working stations provide a good environment and reduce discomfort. Studies conclude that sit-stand working stations reduce perceived discomfort and increase productivity [2]. Sitting on the chair in an awkward posture or in one posture for a long time will cause harmful diseases, including pressure ulcers. ...
... is energy-efficient and trustworthy continuous sitting position detection system will play a more critical role in reducing musculoskeletal disorders and protecting users' dignity. (2) e proposed solution does not have a drift problem, and hence, repetitive calibrations may be avoided. As a result, it is more dependable and power-efficient than the accelerometer-based system, resulting in a longer battery life. ...
In this research, an intelligent and cost-ecient system has been proposed to detect the improper sitting posture of a person
working at a desk, mostly in oces, using machine learning classication techniques. e current era demands to avoid the harms
of an improper posture as it, when prolonged, is very painful and can be fatal sometimes. is study also includes a comparison of
two arrangements. Arrangement 01 includes six force-sensitive resistor (FSR) sensors alone, and it is less expensive. Arrangement
02 consists of two FSR sensors and one ultrasonic sensor embedded in the back seat of a chair. e K-nearest neighbor (KNN),
Naive Bayes, logistic regression, and random forest algorithms are used to augment the gain and enhanced accuracy for posture
detection. e improper postures recognized in this study are backward-leaning, forward-leaning, left-leaning, and right-leaning.
e presented results validate the proposed system as the accuracy of 99.8% is achieved using a smaller number of sensors that
make the proposed prototype cost-ecient with improved accuracy and lower execution time. e proposed model is of a dire
need for employees working in oces or even at the residential level to make it convenient to work for hours without having severe
eects of improper posture and prolonged sitting
... Additionally, previous research has reported participants' variation in the usage of the sit-stand desk stands, with four studies stating the use of the workstation had no influence and three indicated that it enhanced productivity. [17] Therefore, modifying the workspace by the alternative of between sitting and standing might be useful to reduce the monotonous feeling of fatigue and boredom. ...
... Participants with existing musculoskeletal conditions were motivated to participate in the study in order to attain perceived health benefits through the alternative between sitting and standing transitions. As noted in previous studies, our results show that participants spend most of their time at work seated, which makes them prone to adverse musculoskeletal conditions [19] Alternating between sitting and standing positions was perceived as less comforting for work activity by some participants [20] however, the study by Karakolis et al. [17] showed that working in the standing position was associated with chronic lumbar pain reduction in some employees. The acceptance of sit-stands desks in the work environment should nevertheless be investigated further as there might be resistance to change despite demonstrable improvement in physical health. ...
Background:
Data from empirical investigations on the feasibility and acceptability of using sit-stand desks in an office-based setting in low- and middle-income settings are limited.
Objectives:
To explore the perceptions of South African office workers towards using height-adjustable sit-stand desks to reduce sitting time during vocational hours.
Methods:
Self-reported sedentary behaviour and in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted in December 2020. Thematic content analysis approach was used to develop themes.
Results:
Eleven office workers with a work-time sitting time of 8 (6-8) hours were interviewed (age 40.5 ± 12.6 years), most (91%) were female. The main themes emerged and included: overall impressions of the height-adjustable sit-stand desks; enablers versus barriers to using the desk and readiness to continue using sit-stand desks.
Conclusion:
The findings of this research add to the evidence on environmental workstation modifications for reducing sedentary behaviour. Further investigations on the efficacy of sit-stand desks are recommended in South African university office workers.
... Indeed, sit-stand workstations have been the topic of an increasing number of studies in recent years (Bodker et al., 2021;W. Brown et al., 2020;Davis and Kotowski, 2015;Gao et al., 2016;Gibbs et al., 2017;Kowalsky et al., 2018;Renaud et al., 2018) as well as literature reviews (Agarwal et al., 2018;Chambers et al., 2019;Karakolis and Callaghan, 2014) and a special issue of the Ergonomics in Design Journal (Dennerlein, 2015). Recent national and international standards include sit-standing alternating amongst the postures recommended for office work (Canadian Standards Association Group, 2018;Occupational Safety and Health Administration, n.d.-b), sit-stand worksurfaces are found in the OSHA Computer workstation purchasing guide (Occupational Safety and Health Administration, n.d.-a) and government and grassroots associations promote sit-stand workstations to limit continuous sitting (Get Britain Standing. ...
... It is also likely that sit-stand workstation usage will reduce discomfort (Karakolis and Callaghan, 2014). One review of sit-stand workstation studies found significantly reduced low back discomfort (Agarwal et al., 2018). ...
Regular standing interruptions to sedentary work are recommended, but their dosage is understudied. To measure perception variations associated with different sit:stand ratios, 16 people used six ratios (30:0, 27:3, 24:6, 21:9, 18:12 and 15:15) within 30-min cycles in their normal office environment. At start and end of each workday, study participants recorded their perception of 11 factors on a 10-point scale. Musculoskeletal discomfort in 10 body regions was measured before and after exposure to sit-stand ratios. Overall preferred ratios were recorded.
Sit:stand ratio affected all perceived factors, with impact varying. Standing at least 6 min improved results most overall; however, individual perceived factors were least impacted by any of 30:0, 27:3, 24:6 or 21:9. Preferred sit:stand ratios were 15:15, 18:12 and 21:9. Typically, least liked ratios involved briefest standing (30:0, 27:3, 24:6) although two participants least liked 15:15. Understanding these variations contributes to appropriate standing dosage recommendations.
... If people were more efficient and productive in the sitting position, it would be difficult to accept the solution to work more often in the standing position. In fact, many recent studies have shown and explained that spending more time in the standing position does not negatively impact performance of tasks and productivity of individuals working in desk-based jobs [33,50]. According to this information, people do not have to sit to be more effective and productive at work. ...
... According to this information, people do not have to sit to be more effective and productive at work. The perspective of performing work satisfactorily while in the standing position is not intuitive but reflects new discoveries [33,[50][51][52]. Hence, we encourage future studies to continue to show that more time spent in the standing position at work could facilitate good performance and work productivity. ...
Sedentariness has progressed in recent years. Here, we summarize the high prevalence of objectively measured sedentariness and the list of health problems associated with sedentariness. According to the literature, a minimum sedentary time of 8 h/d may avoid the harmful effects of sedentariness. Our review of the literature shows that many countries worldwide exceed this threshold. The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has increased the proportion of time spent seated in chairs and/or other types of furniture. Furthermore, prolonged sedentariness will continue to increase because it is assumed that people, at least those in desk jobs, perform their work better when sitting than when standing. Many practical solutions should be implemented to help people reduce their sedentary time. People need to be aware that prolonged sedentariness causes health problems. They need to measure the amount of time spent being sedentary to self-guide their behaviour. They should adopt a new lifestyle to avoid prolonged sedentariness and prolonged standing. In addition, we point out that they should frequently change their posture to avoid fatigue and health issues. For global public health, there is an urgent need to adopt an intermediate healthy/healthier behaviour between too much time spent in the sitting and standing positions.
... Other strategies to reduce sedentary behavior include increasing standing and walking time at work. In a systematic review of fourteen studies, researchers identified seven studies that recorded either local, whole body, or both local and whole-body discomfort scores in sedentary workers; six of the seven studies showed that sit-stand work led to decreased trends in discomfort [12]. A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials also found that walking mitigated chronic LBP and discomfort [13]. ...
... In addition to the frequency of posture changes [8][9][10][11] and time spent standing or walking [12][13][14], moving while sitting, such as fidgeting or shifting in one's chair [10,[15][16][17][18] has also been recommended to mitigate LBP related to prolonged sitting. Of interest is the relationship between these various movement behavior strategies including fidgeting, posture transitions and time spent in different postures and MSD. ...
Background: Increasing standing and walking time has been proposed to mitigate the risk of musculoskeletal discomfort (MSD) associated with prolonged sitting. However, the duration, frequency, and timing of standing and walking required to reduce risk of MSD is less understood. Objective: The primary aim of this cross-sectional study was to 1) understand the relationship between daily movement patterns and MSD among office workers; and 2) determine whether daily movement patterns and MSD differed between those with different sitting strategies during prolonged work. Methods: 26 participants completed baseline questionnaires and wore an inertial measuring unit to quantify posture and movement over a 48-h period, stratified by work and leisure time. Participants were then classified as “breakers” and “prolongers” based on breaks taken during a 2-h sitting bout. The relationships between posture, movement and MSD were assessed using Spearman correlation coefficients, two-sample t tests, and Mann Whitney U tests, then stratified by and compared between breakers and prolongers. Results: Step count(r² = −0.26), standing time(r² = −0.39), and walking time(r² = −0.31) were negatively associated with MSD, whereas sitting duration was positively(r² = 0.20) associated with MSD; posture, activity, and MSD correlations were similar between work and leisure time. Prolongers(10.55(1.28)) spent more hours sitting compared to breakers(9.01(3.02)) and tended to have more overall MSD(p < 0.05). Conclusion: Increased time spent standing and walking while decreasing sitting time during both work and leisure time may help reduce risk of MSD. Those who did not change posture during the work bout tended to spend more time sitting and less time standing and walking during both work and leisure time. Future interventions should consider encouraging increased standing and walking during both work and leisure time to reduce MSD among office workers.
... Zhu et al. [65] conducted a literature review showing that treadmill desks and other physical implementations in the workplace can lead to reductions in sedentary behavior and increased physical activity. Studies indicated that standing, under cycling, and treadmill desks are potentially helpful in decreasing workplace sedentary time while positively impacting stress and general mood [28,46] without reducing productivity [34]. Moderate-intensity exercise performed on a cycling workstation during simulated office tasks has been shown to increase activity without increasing the error rate, but it does increase task execution time [40]. ...
Sedentary behavior is endemic in modern workplaces, contributing to negative physical and mental health outcomes. Although adjustable standing desks are increasing in popularity, people still avoid standing. We developed an open-source plug-and-play system to remotely control standing desks and investigated three system modes with a three-week in-the-wild user study (𝑁 =15). Interval mode forces users to stand once per hour, causing frustration. Adaptive mode nudges users to stand every hour unless the user has stood already. Smart mode, which raises the desk during breaks, was the best rated, contributing to increased standing time with the most positive qualitative feedback. However, non-computer activities need to be accounted for in the future. Therefore, our results indicate that a smart standing desk that shifts modes at opportune times has the most potential to reduce sedentary behavior in the workplace. We contribute our open-source system and insights for future intelligent workplace well-being systems.
... Furthermore, if transitions that require less mechanical work lead to more frequent transitions, the potential for sittingand standing-induced low back discomfort may be reduced, especially if performed early in the exposure [21]. To date, the biomechanical and ergonomic analyses of sit-stand workstations have largely focused on postural assessments, muscle activation, and subjective discomfort reports without explicit mechanical analyses of the transition [19,[21][22][23]. To address this knowledge gap, this study aimed to characterize and compare the work and total energy during sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit transitions using a traditional office chair and a novel dynamic chair designed for specific use with sit-stand workstations. ...
A novel active office chair (Movably Pro) was designed to facilitate frequent sit-stand movement 1) through auditory and tactile prompts and 2) with minimal-to-no work surface adjustment when transitioning. The purpose of this study was to compare lumbopelvic kinematics, discomfort, and task performance between the novel chair and traditional sitting/standing. Sixteen participants completed three separate 2-h sedentary exposures. Although participants transitioned every 3 min between sitting and standing with the novel chair, productivity was not affected. When standing in the novel chair, the lumbopelvic angles fell in between traditional sitting and standing (p < 0.01). Movement and/or postural changes that occurred with the novel chair reduced low back and leg discomfort for pain developers (PDs) (p < 0.01). All participants classified as PDs in traditional standing were non-PDs with the novel chair. This intervention was effective in reducing sedentary time without the time loss associated with desk movement.
... Pourtant de nombreuses études ont démontré une réduction des douleurs dans les régions lombaires et cervicales à travers l'utilisation d'un bureau assis-debout(Davis and Kotowski, 2014;Husemann et al., 2009;Karakolis and Callaghan, 2014;Pronk et al., 2012). Ces observations peuvent s'expliquer par la possibilité des participants de s'asseoir (chaise ou bureau ajustable) permettant de rompre cette position statique, suggérant les bureaux assisdebout comme des outils à utiliser de manière précautionneuse en veillant à alterner régulièrement de position(Agarwal et al., 2018). ...
Les transformations sociétales menées par les diverses révolutions techniques et technologiques ont entraîné une réduction inéluctable du temps consacré aux activités physiques au profit des comportements sédentaires. Symbole de ces nouvelles caractéristiques comportementales, le domaine professionnel, de surcroît le secteur tertiaire, a émergé comme le milieu représentant ces nouveaux comportements du mouvement au sein de la population et des stratégies ont émergé pour lutter contre cette évolution délétère. L’objectif de ce travail de thèse était de questionner l’intérêt de l’utilisation de pédalier de bureau afin d’améliorer la santé globale d’individus travaillant dans le secteur tertiaire. Dans ce contexte, ce travail doctoral a permis le développement d’un protocole expérimental implémentant un pédalier de bureau auprès de salariés ayant un travail assis. Sa mise en place a permis d’observer les effets de l’utilisation de cette stratégie active pour améliorer différents paramètres cardiométaboliques et les comportements du mouvement humain auprès de cette population. De plus, une exploration de deux profils énergétiques lors de l’utilisation d’un pédalier de bureau a permis de caractériser des paramètres métaboliques spécifiques liés à ces profils. Nos résultats ont clairement mis en avant les bénéfices sur la santé globale de travailleurs liés à la pratique de pédalier de bureau durant le temps professionnel. Nos travaux ouvrent ainsi de nouvelles perspectives dans la compréhension liée à l’implémentation et à l’utilisation de pédalier de bureau dans le milieu professionnel.
... While the alternating the two postures was associated with the lowest discomfort, the trunk stiffness was the highest in this condition [44]. Standing alone was not more comfortable than sitting alone, and while research is being done to determine the optimal sit:stand ratio [45] or more generally, work:rest ratio [46], sit-stand stations are not without limitations [14]. ...
Purpose
The purpose of this preliminary study was to compare the effects of 1-h sitting with and without short active breaks on muscle stiffness as measured by shear-wave elastography (SWE).
Methods
The participants (7 females, 3 males; age: 24.9 ± 1.2 years) completed two (with and without active breaks) 1-h sitting exposures on separate days. Active breaks (2–3 min) were performed at 20 min and 40 min time marks and comprised simple stretching and activation exercises. Before, during (30 min) and after (1 h) of sitting, shear modulus of upper trapezius, lumbar region of erector spinae and rectus femoris muscles was measured with SWE.
Results
Statistically significant effects of sitting exposure in erector spinae muscle stiffness were noted (p = 0.041; η² = 0.38). There were no other statistically significant effects of sitting exposure or condition (with/without breaks).
Conclusions
Although few statistically significant effects were detected, the trends in this preliminary trial suggest that prolonged sitting increases muscle stiffness and warrants further investigation of short active breaks with larger sample sizes.
... Furthermore, if transitions that require less mechanical work lead to more frequent transitions, the potential for sittingand standing-induced low back discomfort may be reduced, especially if performed early in the exposure [21]. To date, the biomechanical and ergonomic analyses of sit-stand workstations have largely focused on postural assessments, muscle activation, and subjective discomfort reports without explicit mechanical analyses of the transition [19,[21][22][23]. To address this knowledge gap, this study aimed to characterize and compare the work and total energy during sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit transitions using a traditional office chair and a novel dynamic chair designed for specific use with sit-stand workstations. ...
Background:
Adherence to sit-stand workstation usage has been shown to decrease post-intervention, with the reported reasons related to fatigue, cumbersome workstation adjustments, and focus.
Objective:
To characterize the mechanical work and total energy required to perform transitions from a traditional office chair and a dynamic chair designed specifically for sit-stand workstations. The whole-body, thigh, and shank centre-of-mass (CoM) were evaluated.
Methods:
Fifteen participants (8 male; 7 female) performed three intermittent sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit transitions from the traditional and dynamic chairs. Kinematic data of the trunk, pelvis, and lower extremities were collected using an optoelectronic motion capture system and triaxial accelerometers. The change in total energy and work between the sitting and standing postures were evaluated for each CoM point. Lumbar spine range-of-motion was further assessed between chair conditions.
Results:
Chair designs facilitated opposite work and energy responses for a given transition. Transitions performed from the dynamic chair reduced the work and total energy of the whole-body CoM, by ±8.5J and ±214.6J (p < 0.001), respectively. The work and energy of the thigh CoM differed within transitions (p < 0.001), but the positive and negative components were similar between chairs (work =±0.18J, energy =±0.55J). The dynamic chair increased the total energy (±38.3J, p < 0.001) but not the work of the shank CoM (±1.1J, p≥0.347).
Conclusion:
The required mechanical work and energy of sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit transitions was modified by chair design. These outcomes have the potential to address identified reasons for the disuse of sit-stand workstations.
... Ergonomics intervention studies intend to reduce the WMSDs such as the studies in which researchers follow or arrange changes in working conditions to determine the effects of modifications on the risk factors and/ or health [11,12]. Several controlled workplace studies reported the positive effect of ergonomic intervention on WMSDs symptoms with adjustable workstations [13], a sit-stand height adjustable workstation [14], increased frequency of work breaks [15], ergonomics training, physical exercises, and improved lighting conditions [16]. Moreover, it has been reported that a modified workstation can reduce ergonomic problems, enhance operator performance [17], and elevate employee performance, which will lead to higher quality in manufacturing [18]. ...
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are known as one of the main problems affecting the health of industrial workers and can lead to lost working days, functional disability of workers and wasting the financial resources of an organization. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluating the effect of ergonomic interventions on reducing MSDs and improving working posture in the in a foundry industry workers.
A field multicomponent cross-interventional study was conducted on workers working in a foundry industry. In this study, 117 male workers were divided into 4 groups, including a control group, a group with specialized ergonomics training, a group with workstation intervention, and a group simultaneously undergoing training and workstation intervention. All 4 groups were evaluated during a period of baseline, 6 and 12-months follow- up. The Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire (CMDQ) and direct observations of working postures by using the Quick Exposure Check (QEC) method were used.
The results showed that the implemented interventions in the shoulder/arm, back and stress level were effective and the difference in the final score was significant among different groups (P-value > 0.05). In addition, the interventions led to a significant decrease in the QEC scores and musculoskeletal symptom scores in the neck, shoulder, lower back, knee, and lower leg regions among different groups (P-value > 0.05).
The results showed that workstation modification and training and workstation intervention simultaneously had a greater effect on MSDs and improving working posture compared to training alone.
... However, the effectiveness of the organization depends not only on the processes involved in the organization but also relates to some discomfort factors, that is, the state of the workforce, more specifically to health and safety of the workers. [3,[7][8][9] As discomfort in a work environment directly affects the health of employees and minimizes their quality of health and performance at work, it has become a risk factor in an industrial environment, if not controlled, could lead to various manufacturing complications affecting productivity. Therefore, there is a need to study and analyze the factors that causes discomfort and suggest ways of eliminating and/or minimizing discomfort to employees. ...
The purpose of this article is to analyze subjective self‑evaluation of thermal and respiratory discomfort experienced by workers in the
foundry industry. Materials and Methods: One hundred and sixty‑one workers aged 18–55 years participated in this study. Discomfort due
to high temperatures, hot work, skin rashes, cramps, fatigue, weakness, respiratory problems, and inhalation was subjectively evaluated by
the questionnaire survey. The questionnaire is validated, and Cronbach’s alpha test and Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin’s test are applied to ensure data
reliability and adequacy. Results: The results indicated that the highest and lowest percentage of workers experiencing at least one discomfort is 86% and 4%, respectively. Furthermore, 11 out of 19 discomfort factors scored above the average thermal and respiratory discomfort score of 2.5 on the scale of 5. Conclusion: According to this study outcome, more exploration is needed on the relationship among thermal and respiratory discomfort and its effect on the workers in the foundry environment.
... In the literature on postural control, many studies have shown that task performance is similar when standing and when sitting; these involved (i) visual modified stroop tasks (Caron et al. 2020;Straub et al. 2022), (ii) verbal and visuospatial tasks (Dault et al. 2001), (iii) cognitive and skill performance tasks (Rostami et al. 2020;Kang et al. 2021), (iv) Brooks spatial and verbal tasks (Ehrenfried et al. 2003), (v) mental rotating task (Budde et al. 2020) and (vi) auditory-manual tasks (Woollacott and Shumway-Cook 2002;Swan et al. 2004;Huxhold et al. 2006;Lacour et al. 2008;Boisgontier et al. 2013;Stephan et al. 2018;Bayot et al. 2018). In addition, in the literature on human factors engineering many published studies have shown that the standing position did not deteriorate task performance relative to the seated position in various tasks, such as typing, computer mouse use, work-related tasks, memory tasks, reading comprehension, mathematics tasks, creativity etc. (see for reviews and further details, see Karakolis and Callaghan 2014;Sui et al. 2019). For example, standing did not alter performance in visual tasks, such as X-ray baggage screening (Drury et al. 2008) or identifying and correcting misspelled words within a text (Commissaris et al. 2014). ...
The literature on postural control highlights that task performance should be worse in challenging dual tasks than in a single task, because the brain has limited attentional resources. Instead, in the context of visual tasks, we assumed that (i) performance in a visual search task should be better when standing than when sitting and (ii) when standing, postural control should be better when searching than performing the control task. 32 and 16 young adults participated in studies 1 and 2, respectively. They performed three visual tasks (searching to locate targets, free-viewing and fixating a stationary cross) displayed in small images (visual angle: 22°) either when standing or when sitting. Task performance, eye, head, upper back, lower back and center of pressure displacements were recorded. In both studies, task performance in searching was as good (and clearly not worse) when standing as when sitting. Sway magnitude was smaller during the search task (vs. other tasks) when standing but not when sitting. Hence, only when standing, postural control was adapted to perform the challenging search task. When exploring images, and especially so in the search task, participants rotated their head instead of their eyes as if they used an eye-centered strategy. Remarkably in Study 2, head rotation was greater when sitting than when standing. Overall, we consider that variability in postural control was not detrimental but instead useful to facilitate visual task performance. When sitting, this variability may be lacking, thus requiring compensatory movements.
... Standing is a body posture often taken by workers or gamers when there is a need to reach the surrounding area comfortably with the arms or when the legs cannot comfortably be placed [7,31]. While standing at workstations can have a small but statistically significant positive effect in terms of fasting blood glucose levels and the body mass index (BMI) [29], it also reduces the risk for real postural injuries such as tendinosis, tension neck syndrome, and back pain [14,24,33]. In addition to the health-related issues, personal preferences in workplace comfort likely led to an increasing spread of height-adjustable desks that allow standing in front of the workstation [10,28]. ...
... Several vascular studies have also indicated its effectiveness in improving metabolic health and reducing the morbidity risk of heart disease [14,15]. Despite the benefit of standing desks, appropriate sitting time is still needed and should occur as well as standing time because excessive standing could possibly cause leg fatigue [16,17], while alternating sit-stand patterns effectively decrease activation of back muscles and discomfort [12,18]. 2 of 14 Despite interventions to improve the health of office workers, the types of office work devices used, such as keyboards and mice, and the required motion for their operation, have not notably changed. Furthermore, among the many possible risk factors in the office environment, keyboard and mouse operations are suggested to influence occupational symptoms such as carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) [19,20] and self-reports of shoulder and arm pain [21,22]. ...
This study investigated how sitting and standing working postures affected operation force, upper limb muscle activation, and task performance using different pointing devices. Fifteen male participants completed cursor aiming and dragging tasks using a conventional mouse, a vertical mouse, and a trackball at sitting and standing workstations. A custom-made force plate was used to measure operation forces applied to the pointing devices. Surface electromyography (EMG) was used to capture the activation of the biceps brachii, triceps brachii, deltoid, and trapezius. Task performance was measured by task success rates, and subjective ratings were obtained for the force required for operation, smoothness of operation, accuracy, and local fatigue in the upper limb. We quantified the following significant outcomes: (1) greater operation forces were found when standing; (2) standing reduced EMG amplitudes of the triceps and trapezius muscles for all tasks; (3) during the aiming task, the vertical mouse had greater operation forces; (4) during the dragging task, both the vertical mouse and trackball had greater operation forces; and (5) task success rates differed for pointing devices only when sitting. This study revealed the distinct biomechanical properties of standing working posture and suggested limited beneficial effects of alternative pointing devices in terms of task performance and subjective ratings.
... Research topics Findings Karakolis and Callaghan (2014) Literature review Impact of sit-stand workstations (SSW) on worker discomfort and productivity SSW are likely effective in reducing perceived discomfort. Eight of the identified 14 studies reported a productivity outcome; three reported an increase in productivity during sit-stand work, four reported no impact on productivity, one reported mixed results Al Horr et al. ...
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the added value of healthy workplaces for employees and organizations, in particular regarding employee satisfaction, labour productivity and facility cost.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on a narrative review of journal papers and other sources covering the fields of building research, corporate real estate management, facilities management, environmental psychology and ergonomics.
Findings
The review supports the assumption of positive impacts of appropriate building characteristics on health, satisfaction and productivity. Correlations between these impacts are still underexposed. Data on cost and economic benefits of healthy workplace characteristics is limited, and mainly regard reduced sickness absence. The discussed papers indicate that investing in healthy work environments is cost-effective.
Originality/value
The findings contribute to a better understanding of the complex relationships between physical characteristics of the environment and health, satisfaction, productivity and costs. These insights can be used to assess work environments on these topics, and to identify appropriate interventions in value-adding management of buildings and facilities.
... Mixed findings have been reported regarding the association of musculoskeletal issues and prolonged stationary sitting [96,97]. Similarly, conflicting results have been found in terms of what impact, if any, intervention strategies used to reduce SB have on musculoskeletal symptoms, in terms of participant comfort, or the health benefits associated with each strategy [98][99][100][101]. ...
Professional male office employees have been identified as those most at risk of prolonged sedentary time, which is associated with many long-term adverse health conditions. The aim of the study was to assess the acceptability and feasibility of a gender-sensitive multicomponent intervention, guided by the socio-ecological model, to reduce occupational sedentary behaviour by increasing physical activity in professional men. The main elements of the intervention comprised: a Garmin watch with associated web-based platform/smartphone application, an under-desk pedal machine, and management participation and support. A cluster-randomised crossover pilot feasibility trial recruiting professional males was conducted in two workplaces. Mixed methods were used to assess the primary outcomes of recruitment, retention, and acceptability and feasibility of the intervention. Secondary outcomes included objectively measured sedentary behaviour, standing and physical activity. Focus groups were used to explore the acceptability of the intervention in a real-world setting. Twenty-two participants were recruited (mean age 42.9 years (SD 11.0)). Recruitment and retention rates were 73.3% and 95%, respectively. Overall, participants found the intervention acceptable and feasible, and expressed enjoyment of the intervention, however desk set-up issues with the pedal devices were noted. The manual recording of the pedalling bouts was overly burdensome. Preliminary data indicate that the intervention may reduce occupational sedentary behaviour and increase physical activity. This intervention should be further tested in a definitive trial following consideration of the findings of this pilot feasibility trial.
... One of the most consistently successful intervention approaches is the provision of a sit-stand workstation (SSW) for individuals, particularly when combined with strategies to raise awareness and build a supportive culture for change (Edwardson et al., 2018b;Healy et al., 2016). SSWs have been shown to be effective in reducing sitting time (Alkhajah et al., 2012;Healy et al., 2013), decreasing short-term musculoskeletal discomfort (Agarwal et al., 2018;Ognibene et al., 2016), and improving cardiometabolic risk parameters (Graves et al., 2015;Winkler et al., 2018), without negatively impacting productivity (Chau et al., 2016;Commissaris et al., 2016;Karakolis and Callaghan, 2014;Peterman et al., 2019). These workstations have also been shown to be acceptable to both employers and employees (Hadgraft et al., 2016;Hall et al., 2019a;Leavy and Jancey, 2016). ...
This explanatory sequential mixed-method study explored the factors associated with the investment (or not) in sit-stand workstations (SSWs) and alternative initiatives to reduce prolonged sitting at work from the perspective of furniture purchasing decision-makers in Australian workplaces. Participants (n = 270) from >200 organisations across 19 industry sectors completed an online survey. Seven interviews were conducted in a sub-sample of participants from organisations without SSWs. The majority (80%) of workplaces reported having invested in SSWs. Workplaces without SSWs, opposed to those with SSWs, were more likely to be private (79.6% vs. 43.5%), of small/medium size (70.4% vs. 35.6%) and without a wellness program (57.4% vs. 22.2%) (all p < 0.05). Financial implications were the main reason for not investing in SSWs. Exercise and stretch breaks were alternative initiatives to reducing sedentary behaviour at work. Better evidence on the return on investment is needed to support purchasing decisions on SSWs.
... In addition, the introduction of sit-to-stand desks in University classrooms and libraries is an effective approach to reducing sedentary behaviour in University students (Tardif et al., 2018, Jerome et al., 2017. These desks allow individuals to displace large volumes of sitting to standing, while generally causing little to no disruption in productivity and work routines (Karakolis and Callaghan, 2014;Ojo et al., 2018). However, it should be noted that incorporating such environmental opportunities are not always feasible given the increased intervention cost. ...
Background: Accumulating high levels of sedentary behaviour has been linked to poor health outcomes. This study examined the feasibility and preliminary, short-term effects of a theory-based intervention aimed at reducing total and prolonged sedentary behaviour in University students.
Design: A quasi-experimental (pre-post) pilot study. Methods: Nine ambulatory undergraduate students (Mean age = 22 ± 2.32) participated in a one-on-one session, including an educational component around the health effects of sedentary behaviour and three distinct activities (feedback, “pros and cons” exercise, and suggested behaviour change strategies). In addition, automated daily text messages targeting sedentary behaviour were sent for 6 days (four messages per day at fixed intervals). The Behaviour Change Wheel framework guided the intervention design process. Outcomes were assessed over 6 days in pre- and post-intervention periods and included accelerometer-based (activPAL) and self-reported (Nightly-Week-U) total sedentary time, as well as accelerometer-based number of steps and prolonged sedentary time. Students completed a process evaluation interview upon completing the trial.
Results: From pre- to post-intervention, there was a significant reduction in accelerometer-based total and prolonged sedentary time during weekend days. In addition, there was a significant increase in accelerometer-based standing time and stepping during weekend days. There were no statistically significant changes in accelerometer-based sedentary time, standing time or number of steps during weekdays. Process evaluation results indicated that the intervention and its assessment is feasible. Reductions in sedentary time were likely to be mediated by positive changes in the student's reflective and automatic motivation.
Conclusions: Findings from this small, short-term intervention suggest that a single one-on-one session, together with automated text messages, may help University students reduce sedentary behaviour and enhance movement during weekend days. Additional strategies to maximise the intervention effects are discussed (e.g., establishing a collaboration with University staff, introducing sit-to-stand desks, and/or facilitating social support). A randomised control trial assessing sedentary behaviour over a longer period is needed to adequately study the intervention's effectiveness.
... However, other studies have found no influence of these two interventions on physiological outcomes including the reduction of leg swelling and muscle fatigue (Brownie & Martin, 2015;Garcia et al., 2016;Redfern & Cham, 2000;Zander et al., 2004). A growing body of literature has proposed to mitigate the negative effects of standing by incorporating seated periods (Karakolis & Callaghan, 2014) and increasing dynamic standing activities such as walking (Balasubramanian et al., 2008;Garcia et al., 2020Garcia et al., , 2020. However, in many work environments, employees are restricted from sitting or walking and are required to work standing due to the job characteristics or a cultural tradition (Messing et al., 2015). ...
Objective
The goal of this study was to evaluate and compare lower-leg muscle fatigue, edema, and discomfort induced by the prolonged standing of security guards wearing regular socks and those wearing 15–20 or 20–30 mmHg compression stockings as intervention.
Background
Compression stockings are somewhat used by individuals standing all day at work. However, quantitative evidence showing their potential benefits for lower-leg health issues in healthy individuals during real working conditions is lacking.
Method
Forty male security employees participated in the study. All were randomly assigned to the control or one of the two intervention groups (I 15–20 or I 20–30 ). Lower-leg muscle twitch force, volume, and discomfort ratings were measured before and after their regular 12-hr standing work shift.
Results
Significant evidence of lower-leg long-lasting muscle fatigue, edema, and discomfort was observed after standing work for guards wearing regular socks. However, no significant changes were found for guards wearing either compression stockings.
Conclusion
In healthy individuals, compression stockings seem to attenuate efficiently the tested outcomes in the lower leg resulting from prolonged standing.
Application
Occupational activities requiring prolonged standing may benefit from 15–20 or 20–30 mmHg compression stockings. As similar benefits were observed for both levels of compression, the lower level may be sufficient.
... Occasionally, adverse effects of a long-standing position have also been described (cf. Karakolis and Callaghan 2014), but these are not to be expected from reasonable alternate standing and sitting use according to the corresponding instructions. ...
The right amount of exercise is healthy for both the healthy and the sick. This has meanwhile been proven beyond any doubt (cf. Pagenstert 2017). The times when people suffering from cancer, heart or lung disease were advised to rest as much as possible should be over, even if this has not yet become a matter of course for every single doctor.
... Accordingly, the sit-stand workstation for the office was introduced to minimize prolonged sitting. From the biomechanical perspective, the sit-stand workstation alleviates cumulative stresses on the body (Wilks et al., 2006;Robertson et al., 2013) and reduces discomfort on the lower back, upper back and neck (Davis et al., 2009;Pronk et al., 2012;Karakolis and Callaghan, 2014;Thorp et al., 2014;Benatti and Ried-larsen, 2015;Agarwal et al., 2017). The benefits are attributable to the nature of the frequent postural adjustment in the sit-stand workstation, especially under the standing condition that does not restrict the lower extremity postures Liao and Drury, 2000;Schofield et al., 2009;Tissot et al., 2009;Pronk et al., 2012). ...
It is clear that the cognitive resources invested in standing are greater than in sitting, but six of eight previous studies suggested that there is no difference in cognitive performance. This study investigated the effects of sitting and standing workstations on the physical workload and cognitive performance under variable cognitive demand conditions. Fifteen participants visited two times for testing sitting and standing workstations, and were asked to play two difficulty levels of Tetris game for 40 min while kinematic variables, CoP regularity, CoP SD, and cognitive performances were captured every 5 min. Results revealed a more neural posture in standing than in sitting, but using the standing workstation degraded attention and executive function. The CoP SD was 7 times greater in standing, but the CoP regularity was 1/4 in sitting, denoting greater attentional investment while engaged at the standing workstation.
... Productivity across two job categories, health advisors and clinical advisors, were obtained using the company's performance metric software. The main findings were that employees assigned to the stand-capable desks demonstrated higher productivity than those in the 0 0 There are several studies that suggest an inverse relationship between productivity and body discomfort (Davis & Kotowski, 2014;Robertson, et al., 2013;Karakolis & Callaghan, 2014). Aligned with findings from these studies, Pickens et al. (2016), who collected data in tandem on the same study participant pool and followed the study design as the current study, found that employees assigned to the stand-capable workstations reported significantly lower body discomfort compared to the seated controls over the sixmonth period. ...
Sedentary behavior has been recognized as a causal link to major health diseases such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and stroke. On average, working adults spend more than 90% of their time sedentary in their workplace which increases their susceptibility to these major disease processes. Interventions designed to illicit increased activity within the workplace, such as sit-to-stand desks, have been attempted in many instances but detriments to an individual’s performance as well as sustained usage have been barriers to full adoption within the workplace. Two field studies were conducted to first, determine the impact of sit-to-stand usage on an individual’s productivity and secondly, to understand the influence of computer-based prompting in modifying an individual’s motivation to use sit-to-stand desks. The first study (call center) compared a productivity metric of 167 call center workers who were divided into an experimental (stand-capable workstation) group or a control (seated workstation) group. The productivity metric was collected continuously over a 6-month period and then compared by group and job category. Findings indicated that there was a 46% increase in productivity over the 6-month period for the experimental group versus the control group, suggesting that stand-capable desks are a likely contributor to increased productivity. The second study (Chevron) compared sit-to-stand desk usage of 200 office workers across 2 different geographic locations who had been assigned to one of two groups, experimental (received computer prompts) and control (no computer prompts). With computer software, all participant’s daily....
... 4,[15][16][17][18] Several studies have investigated whether successfully replacing sitting by standing also leads to positive effects on self-reported musculoskeletal symptoms and fatigue in computer workers. 17,[19][20][21][22][23][24][25] Some of these studies suggest 21,22,25 that discomfort in the upper back, lower back, and neck and shoulders can, indeed, be reduced when computer workers use a sit-stand desk instead of a traditional nonadjustable desk. ...
Background:
Sit-stand desks have been suggested as an initiative to increase posture variation among office workers. However, there is limited evidence of what would be preferable combinations of time sitting and standing. The aim of this study was to determine and compare perceived pleasantness, acceptability, pain, and fatigue for 5 time patterns of sitting and standing at a sit-stand desk.
Methods:
Thirty postgraduate students were equally divided into a normal-weight (mean body mass index 22.8 kg/m2) and an overweight/obese (mean body mass index 28.1 kg/m2) group. They performed 3 hours of computer work at a sit-stand desk on 5 different days, each day with a different time pattern (A: 60-min sit/0-min stand; B: 50/10; C: 40/20; D: 30/30; E: 20/40). Pleasantness, acceptability, pain, and fatigue ratings were obtained at the beginning and at the end of the 3-hour period.
Results:
High ratings of pleasantness were observed for time patterns B, C, and D in both groups. All participants rated acceptability to be good for time patterns A to D. A minor increase in perceived fatigue and pain was observed in time pattern E.
Conclusion:
For new sit-stand desk users, regardless of body mass index, 10 to 30 minutes of standing per hour appears to be an amenable time pattern.
... sit-stand or treadmill workstations) in the office setting. Findings have indicated that work-related performance and productivity is not impaired by short-term use of these workstations (Karakolis & Callaghan, 2014;Sui et al., 2019). Regarding interventions that have incorporated behavioural strategies to reduce occupational SB, the current findings are consistent with two previous studies that found no significant intervention effects on office workers' self-rated work performance (Healy et al., 2013;Neuhaus et al., 2014). ...
Objective:
This secondary analysis study examined the effects of a 6-week theory-based planning and mHealth text message intervention targeting workplace sitting time on health-related quality of life and work performance in office workers.
Design:
Office-working adults (Mage=45.18 ± 11.33 years) were randomised into either a planning + text message intervention (n = 29) or control (n = 31) condition.
Outcome measures:
Workplace sitting time, time spent in specific non-sedentary behaviours (e.g. standing), health-related outcomes (i.e. emotional well-being, energy/fatigue, perceived role limitations), and work performance were assessed at baseline and week 6.
Results:
Significant group by time interaction effects, that favoured the intervention group, were found for perceived role limitations due to emotional health problems and emotional well-being. No significant interaction effects emerged for energy/fatigue, role limitations due to physical health problems or work performance. Significant correlations in the expected direction were found between sedentary/non-sedentary behaviours and health-related outcomes. No significant mediation effects were found to suggest the intervention affected health-related outcomes through reductions in sedentary behaviour.
Conclusion:
Reducing workplace sitting improves emotional well-being and contributes to fewer perceived role limitations due to emotional health problems among office workers.
... Indeed, non-student work environment research has found that standing desks can improve worker health and productivity. Standing desks, which can help improve posture and take pressure off the neck and lower back, were associated with reduced reported worker discomfort (Chau et al., 2015;Karakolis and Callaghan, 2014), reduced musculoskeletal pain and improved posture (Mazzotta et al., 2018), significant decreases in upper back, shoulder and neck discomfort (Garland et al., 2018) and significant decreases in lower back pain (Ognibene et al., 2016). Standing desks also were associated with reduced sleepiness and fatigue (Kowalsky et al., 2018) and increased worker productivity (Garrett et al., 2016), with one study showing that 65% of workers reported increased productivity (Garland et al., 2018). ...
Purpose
This study aims to examine the impact of college students’ health and wellness orientations on the perceived importance of health benefits for an innovative new brand of standing desk, which is hypothesized to positively affect students’ attitudes and intentions. Research in this domain for the college student market is sparse.
Design/methodology/approach
An online survey was conducted among business students at a large Midwestern US University, with class credit offered for completion. Of the 325 students given the opportunity to participate, 210 completed the survey.
Findings
Health motivation is positively related to calorie reduction importance, whereas wellness orientation is positively related to back health and cognitive enhancement. Calorie reduction and potential cognitive benefits significantly affect attitudes toward standing desks, which positively impact intentions to use, pay a school usage fee and buy the product.
Research limitations/implications
Different health orientation factors are associated with specific health benefits, providing greater insight into consumer attitudinal motivations for health-related products. Future research can further evaluate the generalizability of the results.
Practical implications
Marketers can tailor more effective communications based on underlying consumer motivations for health-related product benefits, resulting in better marketing outcomes.
Social implications
Obesity is a growing societal issue, which could be ameliorated by improved daily behaviors, including the use of standing desks to assist in countering sedentarism.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, neither academic research has yet examined standing desk purchase decision factors for the college student market, nor the effects of different health orientations on perceived health benefits.
Purpose
The health, well-being and productivity (i.e. WELL) of office building occupants are vulnerable to poor office environments. Therefore, this study aims to identify new features and concepts of office buildings in supporting occupants’ WELL. To achieve that aim, this study: explores new WELL features for office buildings, develops new WELL concepts for office buildings and examines the influence of the newly developed WELL concepts on existing WELL building standard (WELL v2) concepts.
Design/methodology/approach
The first phase involved ten experts to assign weightage for health, well-being and productivity. In the second phase, 206 questionnaire survey data were collected from office building occupants throughout Malaysia. Exploratory factor analysis established new WELL concepts for office buildings. Partial least-squares structural equation modelling examined the influence of the newly developed WELL concepts on the existing WELL v2 concepts.
Findings
Two new WELL concepts were developed: “space and services”, consisting of sufficient space, workstation privacy, office layouts, building automation systems, cleanliness and information technology (IT) infrastructure, and “building security”, consisting of security systems and safety at parking lots. Here, “space and services” influences all existing WELL v2 concepts, and “building security” influences the water, nourishment, mind and community concepts of WELL v2.
Originality/value
This study uncovers holistic WELL building concepts to support occupants’ health, well-being and productivity with additional new features and concepts for construction industry policymakers to establish holistic building assessment tools.
The analysis for estimating operator’s activity and quantity of information in control rooms of underground coal mines is presented in this paper. Monitoring of operators in control rooms was conducted in mines Rembas, Soko, Ibar, Jasenovac and Stavalj. The network models are used during the analysis of operator’s activity in control rooms. The result of the analysis is proposed critical path network model. The application of network models improves the quality and level of research, making it more efficient. Most of the analysed information are related to normal and alarm state data received from the mine shaft and operator’s response to this data. Results are given according to actual scope of work depending on the work dynamics in underground coal mines, via histogram of changes in average number of activities per 1 h for 24-h period, then number of operator’s activities per work hour and insight into the global view of technological process in the coal mine with focus on the work scope of mine workers. Analysis of operator’s activities presented in this paper determines the relations between devices in control rooms and operators’ capabilities in order to get better ergonomic design of control rooms.
Objective: This study was conducted to assess the health impairments due to regular standing posture of Indian urban women during their household works. Methods: A questionnaire based survey was carried out at specific local areas of district Muzaffarnagar of Uttar Pradesh, India, during the period between October and December, 2022. In this survey, urban women were involved from four age groups, group (A): 25-35 years with 6.1 h/d standing period, group (B): 36-45 years with 5.2 h/d standing, group (C): 46-55 years with 4.8 h/d standing, group (D): 56-65 years with 3.3 h/d standing. Results: In four age groups, women were very commonly suffered from the lower back pain, arthritis and joint pain, hypothyroidism, low blood pressure, and the hypotension problems. The working standing period decreased in aged women, however, the degree or extent of health risks were elevated in these women with the age-dependent manner. Notably, the percentage of urban women was enhanced for each health issue, age-dependently. Also, all the urban women suffered from calcium and vitamin D3 deficiency. Moreover, the feet swelling problem or edema were reported in older age women. Conclusion: This study concludes that the health risks enhance with the increase in the age of women.
Workplace design deals with the shape, the dimensions, and the layout of the different material elements that surround one or more working persons. In addition, as modern work, particularly in offices, is becoming increasingly collaborative and creative, workplace design should focus on creating a sense of community that enables innovation, encourages new ways of working and nurtures employee well-being. This chapter presents a methodological; and discusses a number of methods, techniques, guidelines, and typical design solutions which aim to support the decisions to be taken during the workplace design process. It examines the problem of working postures and stresses the fact that there is no one best posture which can be assumed for long periods of time. Besides the problem of lumbar kyphosis, working in a sitting posture may provoke excessive muscle strain at the level of the back and the shoulders.
During their activities of daily living, humans run, walk, stand, sit, and lie down. Recent changes in our environment have favored sedentary behavior over more physically active behavior to such a degree that our health is in danger. Here, we sought to address the problem of excessive time spent seated from various theoretical viewpoints, including postural control, human factors engineering, human history and health psychology. If nothing is done now, the high prevalence of sitting will continue to increase. We make a case for the standing position by demonstrating that spending more time upright can mitigate the physiological and psychological problems associated with excessive sitting without lowering task performance and productivity. The psychological literature even highlights potential benefits of performing certain tasks in the standing position. We propose a number of recommendations on spending more time (but not too much) in the standing position and on more active, nonambulatory behaviors. There is a need to inform people about (i) harmful consequences of excessive sitting and (ii) benefits of spending more time performing active, nonambulatory behaviors. One clear benefit is to reduce detrimental health consequences of excessive sitting and to provide potential additional benefits in terms of productivity and performance.
Background:
Studies have suggested an association between computer work and the development of musculoskeletal disorders. However, studies examining the workplace ergonomics assessment of computer offices are scarce in the Pakistani population.
Objective:
To determine the presence of ergonomic risk factors in the office using the Rapid Assessment Office Strain (ROSA) method for complaints of arm, neck and shoulder (CANS) among office computer workers.
Methods:
From January to August 2019, a cross-sectional study was carried out among office workers who worked at least three hours on computers in their daily work. The prevalence of CANS was measured by using the Maastricht Upper Extremity Questionnaire (MUEQ) and work station evaluation was done by using rapid office strain assessment (ROSA). Data were collected from 773 computer workers, of whom 443 (56%) worked in the information technology sector, 215 (28%) in industry and 124 (16%) in universities. SPSS version 20 was used for data entry and analysis.
Results:
Out of 773 computer workers, 448 (58%) reported musculoskeletal pain and the most prevalent were shoulder pain (327, 42%) and neck pain (270, 35%). The mean scores of ROSA sections A, B, C and D were 4.00±0.82, 2.98±0.72, 3.49±0.67 and 3.61±0.72 respectively. The mean ROSA total score in 773 office computer workers was 4.19±0.78, which indicates a low risk of musculoskeletal complaints. There was significant association was found between ROSA section A and shoulder pain (P = 0.043), ROSA section C with complaints of lower arm (P = 0.013), wrist (P = 0.016), and hand pain (P = 0.005), ROSA section D with lower arm (P = 0.002), wrist (P = 0.004) and hand complaints (P = 0.002). A significant association was found between ROSA total score and complaints of shoulder and hand, with p values of 0.012 and 0.006, respectively.
Conclusion:
CANs are prevalent among computer office workers, and there is a significant relationship between CANS and workstation ergonomics.
Background:
Due to the rapid growth of metropolises and the insufficiency of public transportation, nowadays, many people travel on these vehicles in a standing position. This position leads to discomfort and the risk of falling or non-collision incidents for the passengers.
Objective:
The present study was conducted to analyze an innovative sit-standing seat to prevent falls and non-collision injuries in standing passengers.
Methods:
A total of sixteen participated in this study. EMG signal and Borg scale were used to assess muscle activity and discomfort, respectively.
Results:
The mean Borg scale score for perceived discomfort was lower in the sit-standing position than the standing position in all body organs, except for the hips. Also, in the sit-standing position, the muscle activity of the soleus and medial gastrocnemius muscles was significantly lower in the constant velocity and entire phases in both legs, lower in the right leg in the acceleration phase and lower in the left leg in the deceleration phase.
Conclusions:
So this seat can be used as an innovative idea to improve the ergonomic condition of standing passengers to prevent falls and non-collision injuries on transit buses.
This cross-sectional study examined the physiological effects of two active chairs (AC1: had the feature to pedal and slide forward; AC2: was a multiaxial chair) compared to a traditional office chair and standing workstation. Twenty-four healthy participants computed at each of the workstations for 60 min. The active protocol was to alternate between a pedalling/side-to-side motion and sliding forward/front-to-back motion to the sound of a metronome operating at 40 bpm. The participants' physiological effects were recorded using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS); electrodermal activity (EDA) and a heart rate (HR) monitor for each collection period. Statistical analysis was conducted using a repeated measures analysis of variance for within-task and between-workstation comparisons. A Tukey's post hoc analysis was calculated for significant findings. Both active chairs significantly increased oxygenated blood in the gastrocnemius and participants' heart rate and EDA (stress) levels were affected slightly by task and time. However, participants felt more “productive” sitting in the control chair than in either of the active chairs.
Purpose
It is widely recognized that interior office space can affect health in several ways. Strategic and evidence-based design, including explicit design objectives, well-chosen design solutions and evaluation of results, aid realization of desired health effects. Therefore, this paper aims to identify possibly effective interior design strategies and accompanying design solutions and to provide examples of effectiveness measures.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature sample of 59 peer-reviewed papers published across disciplines was used to collect examples of workplace design features that have positively influenced workers’ well-being. The papers were grouped by their health objective and design scope successively and their theoretical assumptions, measures and findings were analyzed.
Findings
Four main workplace design strategies were identified. Design for comfort aims at reducing or preventing health complaints, discomfort and stress, following a pathogenic approach. It has the longest tradition and is the most frequently addressed in the included papers. The other three take a salutogenic approach, promoting health by increasing resources for coping with demands through positive design. Design for restoration supports physical and mental recovery through connections with nature. Design for social well-being facilitates social cohesion and feelings of belonging. Design for healthy behavior aims at nudging physical activity in the workplace.
Originality/value
By drawing complementary perspectives and offering examples of design solutions and effectiveness measures, this paper encourages workplace designers, managers and researchers to take a transdisciplinary and evidence-based approach to healthy workplaces. It also serves as a starting point for future empirical research.
A user’s posture at a computer workstation, especially wrist posture, is determined by the keyboard angle. Most commercially available computer keyboards have a built-in positive slope that requires the user to extend their wrist approximately 20° when typing. The purpose of this study is to find the negative keyboard angles that minimize wrist extension for both sitting and standing workstations. In this study, we compared upper limb working postures, including those of the wrist, elbow and shoulder, at 5 different keyboard angles between −16° and +6° in sitting and standing postures. Based on our results, we can conclude that the optimal range of keyboard slope is from −4° to −12° in sitting posture and −8° to −12° in the standing posture in terms of minimum wrist extension, typing performance, and user preference. We also propose a universal keyboard support design as an attachment to currently available keyboards.
Endoscopists are at a high risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders （MSDs） due to such as prolonged standing posture in endoscopic submucosal dissection （ESD）, which has recently been established as a therapy for early gastrointestinal cancer of the esophagus, stomach, and colon. We hypothesize that use of the sit-stand endoscopic workstation may mitigate the risk of ESD-induced MSDs. Therefore, this study aims to compare the effects of standing and sit-stand workstation on the subjective discomforts of endoscopists in their local body parts during ESD procedures. The following were set: 1） the standing condition in which the subjects had a continuous standing posture during operation procedures, and 2） the sit-stand condition, wherein the subjects could switch between sitting or standing at their own discretion. A stratified sample assignment of 104 ESD cases was conducted in the standing （n＝51） and the sit-stand （n＝53） conditions with repeated measures by four endoscopists. Local discomfort levels increased with operation time at all sites. Compared with the standing condition, however, the sit-stand condition suppressed the progression of subjective discomfort levels in the right knee/right lower leg （p＝0.01）, right foot/right ankle （p＝0.04）, left knee/left lower leg （p＝0.04）, and lumbar regions （p＝0.10）. Thus, the results suggest that the use of a sit-stand workstation could reduce the risks of MSDs of lumbar area and lower legs during endoscopic procedures.
Sit-stand workstations are growing in popularity, however limited guidelines exist regarding optimal schedules of sitting and standing. This was the first known study to observe sit-stand workstation schedules when postural change is based on maintaining musculoskeletal discomfort within 'acceptable' levels. Fourteen healthy adults new to sit-stand workstations completed computer-based work at a sit-stand desk for half a workday. Participants changed between standing and sitting postures each time discomfort reached the maximum acceptable threshold. On average, the amount of standing and sitting was greatest in the first standing (median 40 minutes, interquartile range 40 minutes) and sitting (median 30 minutes, interquartile range 115 minutes) bouts. Average durations spent standing and sitting were lower in all consecutive bouts. Stand-sit ratios indicated an equal amount of standing to sitting or somewhat less standing. The schedules had substantial inter-participant variability. Future studies should consider that optimal schedules may be variable in regards to time and individual-specific.Practitioner summary: Refined guidelines are needed regarding effective use of sit-stand workstations. This study proposed a novel method of investigating potentially optimal schedules, in which postural change was based on reaching a threshold of musculoskeletal discomfort. The findings suggest that an optimal schedule may vary with time and be individual-specific.
Background:
Computer workstation use is a risk factor for the development of musculoskeletal disorders. Governmental guidelines have been developed as a resource for workstation set-up to minimize this risk. The degree of worksite compliance with guidelines has not been examined.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to examine workstations using the VDT Workstation Checklist to determine compliance, and potential modifications.
Methods:
Subjects were recruited from a variety of work settings in Erie, PA. Workstations were assessed with the worker present, using the VDT Workstation Checklist. Adjustments and recommendations were made as appropriate.
Results:
Of the 60 workstations examined, 48%did not receive a passing score. All but one were correctable to an acceptable level with minimal low-cost modifications. The recommendation for wrist rests (43%), changes in monitor height (30%) or position (27%) and reposition of the keyboard (13.3%) and mouse (13.3%) were the most frequent modifications. Ten (16.7%) workstations did not require modification.
Conclusions:
Almost half of workstations reviewed were not in compliance with current guidelines, however almost all (98%) could be brought into compliance with simple modifications. Office workers need guidance in setting up workspace and adjusting ergonomic equipment to provide comfortable and safe work settings and minimize musculoskeletal symptoms.
Once fully automated driving has been implemented, passengers will be able to take advantage of not only the sitting posture but also standing and perching postures. Physical workload of these postures should be investigated in order to design car seats that provide passengers appropriate physical workload. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of simulation-based physical workload evaluation of these postures by a musculoskeletal model. Twelve male students participated, and four electromyograms (EMGs) of the rectus femoris, tibialis anterior, gastrocnemius, and erector spinae were recorded with varying seat angle against the horizontal surface: 0° (i.e., sitting), 30°, 45°, 60° (i.e., perching), and 90° (i.e., standing). Results showed that the effect of the seat angle condition was significant for the EMGs of rectus femoris and erector spinae. In particular, the EMG of rectus femoris was relatively higher than the other three EMGs. The EMG of rectus femoris increased with the increase in seat angle in the range from 0° to 60°and decreased in the range of 60° to 90°. The musculoskeletal analysis was carried out with the same condition as the EMG measurement. The average height and weight of the participants were applied to the analysis model, and the muscle activities of the four muscles were estimated. As expected, the trend of muscle activity in the rectus femoris estimated by the musculoskeletal analysis agreed with the experimental result. The average absolute error of muscle activity in the rectus femoris between the experiment and the analysis was approximately 2.5%. From these results, it is suggested that musculoskeletal analysis can be utilized to estimate muscle activity of a spectrum of static posture from sitting to standing through perching.
The objective of this study was to provide a biomechanical comparison of two different types of active chairs (AC1 & AC2) versus a static chair (NAC). Thirty healthy participants were recruited: fifteen healthy females and fifteen healthy males. Participants worked at a computer workstation (1-h per chair). Equipment included: Pressure pads, Electromyography, Near–Infrared Spectroscopy, and Questionnaires (rate of perceived discomfort, seating discomfort questionnaire and exit survey). A significant increase in anterior–posterior postural sway was found on the seat pan with the use of the AC1. An increase in neuromuscular activity of the external obliques and an increase change in total oxygen index (%TOI) values in the gastrocnemius were also found using the AC1, however the difference was not much higher than the NAC and AC2. Lower discomfort scores in the gluteal area were found with the use of active chair AC1 compared to the NAC. Preliminary findings suggest that having an office chair with a split seat pan design shows potential to yield biomechanical and physiological benefits for the sitter, however further research is needed to better understand the ergonomic benefits of active sitting.
Ergonomics is the science of properly balancing job demands with worker capabilities to prevent a mismatch in demands and capabilities. Mismatch between the capabilities and job demands can lead to cumulative trauma of the body. Using the traditional industrial hygiene methodology of anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control, discussions will cover each area as it applies to the field of occupational ergonomics. Reflections of occupational ergonomics in the past, the current state of the field, and considerations for the future of the field will also be presented.
Sit-stand desks continue to be a popular intervention for office work. While previous studies have reported changes in subjective measures, there is limited understanding of how sit-stand work differs from prolonged sitting or standing work, from a biomechanical standpoint. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of prolonged sitting, prolonged standing, and a sit-stand paradigm on changes in trunk stiffness, low back discomfort, and trunk muscle activation. Twelve healthy participants performed two hours of computer-based tasks in each protocol, on three different days. The sit-stand protocol was associated with a significant increase in trunk stiffness and a decrease in muscle activation of lumbar multifidus and longissimus thoracis pars thoracis, compared to both prolonged sitting and standing. Both sitting and standing were associated with increased low back discomfort. These findings may be worth exploring in more detail, for why alternating sit-stand patterns may help alleviate low back pain.
Practitioner summary: We explored changes in objective and subjective measures related to low back discomfort following prolonged sitting, standing, and alternating sit-stand patterns. Alternating sit-stand pattern was associated with increased trunk stiffness and decreased back muscle activity. Hence, sit-stand desks may have benefits in terms of preventing/mitigating low back pain
This study evaluated early and frequent seated breaks from standing work to reduce low back pain (LBP) in known pain developers (PD). Twenty-four participants, classified as either PD or non-PD during a separate 2-hour standing session, performed 124 minutes of standing work with seated breaks at a 3:1 stand-sit ratio with increasing durations from 3:1 minute to 48:16 minutes. Back pain and spine posture measures showed no differences between PD and non-PD. Females had greater left glutaeus medius activation (8.4%MVC) than males (4.5%MVC) and greater glutaeus medius co-contraction. This protocol was successful at reducing LBP in PD to the level of non-PD, with mean pain scores (13 mm) only slightly exceeding the clinical LBP threshold of 10 mm. Early and frequent breaks within the first hour of standing work appear to be an effective solution to reduce the LBP that often occurs at the beginning of standing work.
Practicioner Summary: Sit-stand workstations may be an effective solution to reduce static occupational low back postures. This experimental study demonstrated that early and frequent seated breaks from standing work may be an effective solution to reduce tissue aggravation that often occurs within the first 45 minutes of a standing work exposure.
Abbreviations: LBP: low back pain; PD: pain developer; NPD: non-pain developer; VAS: visual analog scale; EMG: electromyography; LES: lumbar erector spinae; TES: thoracic erector spinae; GMD: glutaeus medius; IOB: internal oblique; MVC: maximum voluntary contraction; CCI: co-activation coefficient; FDA: functional data analysis
Background:
In developing countries, the recent increase in computer-related work has considerably increased the occupational complaint of pain.
Objective:
To examine the effects of workstation design, posture and ergonomic awareness on the prevalence of pain for a year in the upper part of the body (eyes, hands, arms, shoulders, lower back, and upper back) among IT professionals in India.
Method:
To investigate the association of risk factors with the prevalence of pain in different body parts, a newly designed online questionnaire titled "A Questionnaire based on ergonomics for IT Professionals" was developed. The psychometric properties of this questionnaire were tested. 110 computer office workers were recruited from IT companies from major cities in India.
Results:
The confirmation of reliability and lack of redundancy of items was provided by the calculation of internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.804) and cross-validation. 60% of participants was male. Mean age was 29.73±6.09 years. The prevalence of pain for a year in the upper part of the body was 38.2%. The frequently reported pains were in the neck (22.7%), lower back area (22.7%), and eye strain (21.8%).
Conclusion:
It was identified that long working hours, excessive usage of smartphones, lack of exercise, incorrect workstation adjustments, and incorrect posture were the risk factors for the prevalence of pain.
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Currently, there is no guidance on the training program approach that should be provided to new sit-stand workstation users to optimally integrate workstation usage patterns into their working day. The objective of this research study was to determine if a training program could influence long-term usage of sit-stand workstations. Thirty-five employees from the University of Waterloo volunteered to participate in this longitudinal study. Two different types of training programs were delivered: 1) an example from industry and 2) based on current literature. There was an influence of training program on the frequency of sit to stand transitions made each day. Those who received the additional training program also reported sitting less, standing more and used their sit-stand workstations more consistently day-to-day than those who did not.
Practitioner Summary: A longitudinal study was conducted to assess the impact of training programs on sit-stand workstation usage. A training program based on current literature resulted in more consistent sit-stand usage than an industry example.
The use of computers has been rapidly rising over the recent decade. In the recent past along with the usage of desktops, laptops and smartphones are widely used in most of the offices. With the advancement in technology in smartphones, people spend a lot of time using a smartphone for the basic need of networking. It was noticed that laptops and smartphones users tend to attain incorrect postures when compared with desktop users. It is the prime concern for the organizations to improve their work environment in order to optimize the health, safety, comfort and effectiveness of their employees. This paper is aimed to study the ergonomic interventions carried out to reduce pain and to improve the posture while working on desktop, laptops and smartphones. The ergonomic evaluation methods to assess the computer workstations are also laid out. This review will be helpful for the users to adjust their workstation correctly and designers to design the workstation to include better usability feature as per ergonomic guidelines during laptop, smartphone and desktop usage.
Background:
Non-neutral postures during computerised device use coupled with increased usage may increase the risk of neck pain. Greater knowledge of postures that individuals with neck pain adopt during computerised device use is warranted.
Objective:
To evaluate neck and upper limb posture while using a tablet, laptop and desktop computer (sitting and standing) in individuals with chronic neck pain.
Methods:
Differences in three-dimensional kinematic variables were assessed during four conditions: tablet, laptop, desktop computer (sitting and standing) in 22 individuals with chronic neck pain >3 months. Differences between kinematic variables were determined using one-way repeated measures ANOVA with Bonferroni post-hoc tests.
Results:
Compared to the desktop (sitting), tablet and laptop use resulted in increased neck flexion (mean difference tablet - 14.42°, 95% CI - 19.88, - 8.96, P < 0.001; laptop -7.19°, -12.08, -2.31, P = .020); upper trunk flexion (tablet -14.89°, -20.22, -9.56, P < 0.001; laptop -5.56, -10.02, -1.09, P = .009) and tablet bilateral shoulder elevation (left 11.01 mm, 2.01, 20.04, P < .016; right 13.08 mm, 3.09, 23.11, P < .006).
Conclusions:
Tablet and laptop use resulted in greater neck flexion, bilateral shoulder elevation and upper trunk flexion compared to a standard desktop computer, suggesting individuals with chronic neck pain should be mindful of their posture when using these smaller devices. Future research should explore how differences in posture may influence neck pain.
Long periods of intense data entry office work have been linked to increased pain and musculoskeletal disorders. The current study investigated how postural changes mediated by workstation intervention influences the discomfort, postures, and productivity of call center professionals. Thirty-five call center employees were evaluated over two-weeks while performing their job in four different workstation conditions: 1) conventional, 2) sit-stand, 3) conventional with reminder software, and 4) sit-stand with reminder software. The reminder software resulted in reductions in discomfort in the shoulder, hand/wrist, upper back, and lower back. Small increase in the productivity of the workers was also seen for the software reminders. The sit-stand workstation was also effective in reducing discomfort with out decreasing productivity. Periodic breaks that encourage postural changes may be effective in reducing the adverse effects of prolonged static postures commonly found in office work without adversely impact productivity.
Background
Epidemiological research has established sitting as a new risk factor for the development of non-communicable chronic disease. Sit-stand desks have been proposed as one strategy to reduce occupational sedentary time. This formative research study evaluated the acceptability and usability of manually and electrically operated sit-stand desks in a medium-sized government organisation located in Sydney, Australia.
Methods
Sitting time pre- and three months post -installation of the sit-stand desks was measured using validated self-report measures. Additionally, three group interviews and one key-informant interview were conducted with staff regarding perceptions about ease of, and barriers to, use and satisfaction with the sit-stand desks. All interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed for themes regarding usability and acceptability.
Results
Of 31 staff, 18 completed baseline questionnaires, and 13 completed follow-up questionnaires. The median proportion of sitting time for work was 85% (range 50%-95%) at baseline and 60% (range 10%-95%) at follow-up. Formal statistical testing of paired data (n=11) showed that the change from baseline to follow-up in time spent sitting (mean change=1.7 hours, p=.014) was statistically significant. From the qualitative data, reasons given for initiating use of the desks in the standing position were the potential health benefits, or a willingness to experiment or through external prompting. Factors influencing continued use included: concern for, and experience of, short and long term health impacts; perceived productivity whilst sitting and standing; practical accommodation of transitions between sitting and standing; electric or manual operation height adjustment. Several trajectories in patterns of initiation and continued use were identified that centered on the source and timing of commitment to using the desk in the standing position.
Conclusions
Sit-stand desks had high usability and acceptability and reduced sitting time at work. Use could be promoted by emphasizing the health benefits, providing guidance on appropriate set-up and normalizing standing for work-related tasks.
Sitting time is a prevalent health risk among office-based workers.
To examine, using a pilot study, the efficacy of an intervention to reduce office workers' sitting time.
Quasi-experimental design with intervention-group participants recruited from a single workplace that was physically separate from the workplaces of comparison-group participants.
Office workers (Intervention, n=18; Comparison, n=14) aged 20-65 years from Brisbane, Australia; data were collected and analyzed in 2011.
Installation of a commercially available sit-stand workstation.
Changes from baseline at 1-week and 3-month follow-up in time spent sitting, standing, and stepping at the workplace and during all waking time (activPAL3 activity monitor, 7-day observation). Fasting total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose levels were assessed at baseline and 3 months (Cholestech LDX Analyzer). Acceptability was assessed with a 5-point response scale (eight items).
The intervention group (relative to the comparison group) reduced sitting time at 1-week follow-up by 143 minutes/day at the workplace (95% CI= -184, -102) and 97 minutes/day during all waking time (95% CI= -144, -50). These effects were maintained at 3 months (-137 minutes/day and -78 minutes/day, respectively). Sitting was almost exclusively replaced by standing, with minimal changes to stepping time. Relative to the comparison group, the intervention group increased HDL cholesterol by an average of 0.26 mmol/L (95% CI=0.10, 0.42). Other biomarker differences were not significant. There was strong acceptability and preference for using the workstations, though some design limitations were noted.
This trial is the first with objective measurement and a comparison group to demonstrate that the introduction of a sit-stand workstation can substantially reduce office workers' sitting time both at the workplace and overall throughout the week.
We conducted a classification analysis to identify factors associated with sitting comfort and discomfort. The objective was to investigate the possible multidimensional nature of comfort and discomfort. Descriptors of feelings of comfort and discomfort were solicited from office workers and validated in a questionnaire study. From this study, 43 descriptors emerged. The 42 participants rated the similarity of all 903 pairs of descriptors, and we subjected the resulting similarity matrix to multidimensional scaling, factor analysis, and cluster analysis. Two main factors emerged, which were interpreted as comfort and discomfort. Based on these findings, we postulate a hypothetical model for perception of comfort and discomfort. Comfort and discomfort need to be treated as different and complementary entities in ergonomic investigations.
The term comfort is often seen relating to the marketing of products like chairs, cars, clothing, hand tools and even airplane tickets, while in the scientific literature, the term discomfort shows up often, since it is used in research. Few papers explain the concept of a localized comfort experience in relation to product use, although people use these products daily. Therefore, in this special issue, the concept of product comfort is studied further. In this editorial an overview of comfort models has been made, evaluated with the papers from the special issue and a new comfort/discomfort model is proposed to increase our understanding of the factors influencing comfort and discomfort experiences.
The obesity epidemic is attributed in part to reduced physical activity. Evidence supports that reducing time spent sitting, regardless of activity, may improve the metabolic consequences of obesity. Analyses were conducted in a large prospective study of US adults enrolled by the American Cancer Society to examine leisure time spent sitting and physical activity in relation to mortality. Time spent sitting and physical activity were queried by questionnaire on 53,440 men and 69,776 women who were disease free at enrollment. The authors identified 11,307 deaths in men and 7,923 deaths in women during the 14-year follow-up. After adjustment for smoking, body mass index, and other factors, time spent sitting (> or = 6 vs. <3 hours/day) was associated with mortality in both women (relative risk = 1.34, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.25, 1.44) and men (relative risk = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.11, 1.24). Relative risks for sitting (> or = 6 hours/day) and physical activity (<24.5 metabolic equivalent (MET)-hours/week) combined were 1.94 (95% CI: 1.70, 2.20) for women and 1.48 (95% CI: 1.33, 1.65) for men, compared with those with the least time sitting and most activity. Associations were strongest for cardiovascular disease mortality. The time spent sitting was independently associated with total mortality, regardless of physical activity level. Public health messages should include both being physically active and reducing time spent sitting.
In mice lacking functional brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), the number of geniculate ganglion neurons, which innervate taste buds, is reduced by one-half. Here, we determined how and when BDNF regulates the number of neurons in the developing geniculate ganglion. The loss of geniculate neurons begins at embryonic day 13.5 (E13.5) and continues until E18.5 in BDNF-null mice. Neuronal loss in BDNF-null mice was prevented by the removal of the pro-apoptotic gene Bax. Thus, BDNF regulates embryonic geniculate neuronal number by preventing cell death rather than promoting cell proliferation. The number of neurofilament positive neurons expressing activated caspase-3 increased on E13.5 in bdnf(-/-) mice, compared to wild-type mice, demonstrating that differentiated neurons were dying. The axons of geniculate neurons approach their target cells, the fungiform papillae, beginning on E13.5, at which time we found robust BDNF(LacZ) expression in these targets. Altogether, our findings establish that BDNF produced in peripheral target cells regulates the survival of early geniculate neurons by inhibiting cell death of differentiated neurons on E13.5 of development. Thus, BDNF acts as a classic target-derived growth factor in the developing taste system.
Adjustable sit-stand workstations, which are designed to allow workers to sit and stand autonomously while working, were examined to identify the effects on workers' musculoskeletal discomfort, alertness and performance. Twenty-four healthy subjects participated in the study. The subjects were required to do an English transcription task for 150 min under the following conditions: 1) sitting at standard workstations (Standard), 2) sitting on a chair with the work surface elevated to standing position (High-chair) and 3) a combination of 10-min sitting and 5-min standing with the same setting as that in the high-chair condition (Sit-stand). The subjective musculoskeletal discomfort scores indicated that High-chair and Sit-stand resulted in relatively higher discomfort levels than the Standard condition. Although the ratio between low-frequency (0.04-0.15 Hz) and high-frequency (0.15-0.4 Hz) components of heart rate variability (LF/HF ratio) in Sit-stand was higher than that in other conditions, there were no significant differences in subjective sleepiness among the three conditions. As for work performance, there was a tendency to be steadily high under the Sit-stand condition compared with other conditions, but not a significant difference. This study revealed that although the use of sit-stand workstations can contribute to keeping workers' arousal level steady, it has an adverse effect in light of musculoskeletal discomfort.
Improvements in workplace, working posture, and discomfort need to be justified in terms of improvements in performance. Previously, a visual inspection task has been investigated. The objective of the current study was to demonstrate the interactions between workplace, work duration, discomfort, working posture, as well as performance in a 2-h typing task. Three levels of keyboard heights were used to change working posture (e.g. joint angles and postural shifts), and thus presumably discomfort (e.g. rating of perceived discomfort and body part discomfort), and performance (e.g. typing speed, error rate and error correction rate). The results indicated that the hypothesized posture-comfort-performance interrelationships were partially supported. Keyboard height had effects on working posture adopted. As in previous studies, the rate of postural shift was a good indication of discomfort in a VDT task. Discomfort and postural shift rate had adverse effects on performance (e.g. error rate). However, these effects on error rate may not be strong.
Microbreaks are scheduled rest breaks taken to prevent the onset or progression of cumulative trauma disorders in the computerized workstation environment. The authors examined the benefit of microbreaks by investigating myoelectric signal (MES) behavior, perceived discomfort, and worker productivity while individuals performed their usual keying work. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three experimental groups. Each participant provided data from working sessions where they took no breaks, and from working sessions where they took breaks according to their group assignment: microbreaks at their own discretion (control), microbreaks at 20 min intervals, and microbreaks at 40 min intervals. Four main muscle areas were studied: the cervical extensors, the lumbar erector spinae, the upper trapezius/supraspinatus, and the wrist and finger extensors. The authors have previously shown that when computer workers remained seated at their workstation, the muscles performing sustained postural contractions displayed a cyclic trend in the mean frequency (MNF) of the MES (McLean et al., J. Electrophysiol. Kinesiol. 10 (1) (2000) 33). The data provided evidence (p < 0.05) that all microbreak protocols were associated with a higher frequency of MNF cycling at the wrist extensors, at the neck when microbreaks were taken by the control and 40 min protocol groups, and at the back when breaks were taken by the 20 and 40 min protocol groups. No significant change in the frequency of MNF cycling was noted at the shoulder. It was determined (p < 0.05) that microbreaks had a positive effect on reducing discomfort in all areas studied during computer terminal work, particularly when breaks were taken at 20 min intervals. Finally, microbreaks showed no evidence of a detrimental effect on worker productivity. The underlying cause of MNF cycling, and its relationship to the development of discomfort or cumulative trauma disorders remains to be determined.
In a controlled field study, effect of sit-stand workstations on foot swelling during the course of a workday was monitored in visual display terminal (VDT) operators. Six VDT operators first worked in offices furnished with nonadjustable sitting workstations. Then they worked in offices furnished with sit-stand adjustable furniture for six weeks. In the later setting, they stood for 15 minutes every hour. In both settings, the foot swelling was measured at 8 a.m., 12 p.m., 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. using a foot volumeter. Between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m., subjects walked for 20 minutes and sat for 40 minutes. The results showed that the average right foot swelling in offices with sit-stand adjustable furniture was significantly less than that in offices with nonadjustable furniture, 12.3 ml (1.1 percent) compared to 21 ml (1.8 percent). These results suggest that activity promoted using sit-stand workstations benefits sedentary office workers.
The effects of using an electric height-adjustable worksurface, with and without the addition of a negative-tilt keyboard tray, on wrist posture, comfort, typing performance and body movements was studied. Eighteen subjects experienced four test conditions: typing while sitting with the keyboard on a flat surface or negative tilt keyboard tray, and standing with the keyboard on a flat surface or negative tilt keyboard tray. Results show that the most neutral typing wrist posture (least wrist extension) was maintained when sitting rather than standing. There was a slight wrist posture benefit with the negative tilt tray for both sitting and standing. Sitting with a negative-tilt tray was the most comfortable condition. Sitting was more comfortable than standing. No performance differences between conditions were found. When sitting there was more foot movement than when standing. When standing there was more weight shifting than when sitting.
This study describes the approach taken and the results measured thus far from the introduction of sit-stand workstations in an office environment. Adjustable workstations have been developed and introduced in an office within United Parcel Service (UPS). A sit-stand workstation consists of the following components: modular panel walls, an adjustable front work surface, an adjustable rear work surface, and an adjustable chair. An employee can sit or stand while working and perform the adjustments to the workstation with fingertip ease and control.
The job requirements of all of the employees using the new workstations are sedentary in which there is constant use of the computer to perform a variety of tasks. A training program was also introduced to review basic principles of human factors and ergonomics and to provide instruction in how to properly use the new workstations, chairs, and other accessories.
Prior to the installation of the workstations, various benchmark data were collected including: production levels, absenteeism, and injuries and illnesses. A survey of body part discomfort identified areas that were of concern. Following the installation of the workstations, the same data have been and will continue to be collected to measure the effectiveness of the ergonomic interventions. Body part discomfort decreased by an average of 62 percent. Production in two departments that were monitored demonstrated improvement, however at this time the study cycle is too short to hypothesize long term results. The occurrence of injuries and illnesses decreased by more than half. Absenteeism did not show significant changes. These data will continue to be tracked to measure the results of the interventions.
A controlled field study was conducted to measure spinal shrinkage in office employees with sit-stand type workstations. Thirteen office employees, ten healthy and three with spinal disorders participated in the study. Using a stadiometer, changes in stature were measured at 8 a.m., 12 p.m., 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. From 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., all subjects sat for 40 minutes and walked for 20 minutes. Out of the ten healthy employees, six were instructed to stand for 30 minutes four times during the day. The remaining four subjects stood eight times 15 minutes each. Office workers who stood in 30 minute sessions experienced significantly less shrinkage than those who stood in 15 minute sessions. Office workers with spinal disorders also stood eight times 15 minutes each. They incurred a greater variability in the shrinkage pattern.
In a controlled field study, twelve office employees with computer-intensive jobs were monitored during the redesign of their work environment. Before office redesign, they worked in closed offices with four walls and sitting height, non-adjustable workstations. Then they worked in more open offices with three walls and sit-stand adjustable VDT workstations. The effects of this office redesign were evaluated three months post-occupancy. During the three months, employees worked standing for two hours every day. The results suggest that change in the office layout, i.e. open versus closed, increased the interaction and communication between employees. However, it significantly decreased employees' perceived privacy, and increased the amount of visual and noise distractions. In the offices with sit-stand adjustable furniture, subjects felt more energetic and less tired by the end of the workday.
The relation between work load, work performance and work posture in a light repetitive task was investigated. Subjects were asked to do multiplication of one-digit numbers and to enter the answers on a key board. The task duration was 60 and 90min, either with a combination of sitting and standing postures or with no change of posture at all. In the ‘no change of posture’ condition, workload was higher and work performance was lower than that with combinations of postures. Compared to the time of changing postures, introduction of change at an early stage was more effective to reduce the workload and to enhance the work performance. The longer the task time, the lower the effects of changed postures. Change of posture was useful to reduce the monotonous feelings of fatigue on a short-term light repetitive task. On a short-term light repetitive task, change of posture is recommended to be introduced at an early stage. On a long-term task such as over 90min working time, a more effective improvement is suggested.
Thirty three computer workers from two companies worked at fixed-height worksurfaces (FHWs) and then at electronic height-adjustable worksurfaces (EHAWs) for 4–6 weeks. Subjects completed survey questionnaires before and after using the EHAWs. Results showed significant decreases in the severity of musculoskeletal discomfort for most upper body segments. In the EHAW condition daily discomfort ratings were lower in the afternoon and productivity ratings improved. There was a strong preference for using the EHAWs. An attempt to assess any placebo effect met with limited success. Further studies are needed.
Bank tellers are an occupational group at risk of musculoskeletal disorders due the physical and mental task demands. In an effort to reduce physical demands banks have introduced stools for tellers. However the literature suggests that constrained sitting or constrained standing are risk factors and that alternating work postures may be preferable. This study recorded the discomfort and preferences of 30 bank tellers who worked in just sitting, just standing and alternating sitting and standing work postures. Greatest discomfort in the upper limb was noted in the just sitting posture and greatest discomfort in the lower limb and back was reported for the just standing posture. Alternating between sitting and standing resulted in least discomfort and was reported as the preferred posture by 70% of subjects. Possible mechanisms for this pattern of results are discussed and alternating work postures recommended for bank tellers.
This article explores whether the manager's physical office work environment can stimulate the manager's creativity. A total of 60 managers from a large manufacturing company participated in the study. They rated the creativity potential and physical elements of office environments shown in 25 photographs. The results indicate that offices differ in terms of creativity potential. Compared to offices with low creativity potential, offices with high creativity potential have lower complexity, more plants, bright lighting conditions, windows, cooler colors, and a computer facility. The results suggest that a good interior design of manager's office environment could stimulate a manager's creativity and could therefore contribute to an organization's innovation. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Many people who experience chronic low back pain find that sitting upright for long periods of time can cause discomfort. For some, a measure of relief is achieved by lying down periodically throughout the work day. Devices exist that allow computer operators to work from a significantly reclined or supine posture. However, very little has been written to describe the impact of these alternate postures on typing performance and user comfort. This study used a modified tilt and recline wheelchair seating system and common desktop computer components to measure the impact of five different postures on typing performance and user comfort. The study required participants to complete a series of short typing tests (approximately 20 min) in each of the five postures. The results indicate that for short typing tasks, discomfort in upper extremities can cause significant differences in typing speed and user comfort in supine postures when compared to traditional upright typing postures.Relevance to IndustryUnderstanding the benefits and drawbacks of typing from supine or significantly reclined postures can lead to alternate computer workstations that may decrease repetitive stress injuries and increase employment opportunities for people with chronic low back pain.
Sedentary tasks such as sitting or standing are often a required task components of industrial occupations. Due to automation, industrial job changes to more computer based tasks, and job ergonomic (re)design, the exposure to heavy lifting and awkward postures is being reduced and subsequently resulting in increased duration of work time spent in sedentary non-varying postures. Prolonged standing and seated exposures have been associated with the reporting of low back pain however the mechanism of this discomfort is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to determine whether muscle deoxygenation was one possible mechanism for the development of low back discomfort (LBD) during standing and seated exposures. It was hypothesized that during a prolonged exposure period, LBD would develop and the muscle oxygen saturation levels measured using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) would change over time. Sixteen individuals stood for 2 h and eight participants were exposed to 1 h of simulated driving while back extensor muscle oxygenation was monitored over time. Eighty-two percent of the participants developed LBD as a result of the prolonged standing and seated protocols, which significantly increased over the exposure period (p < 0.0001). The NIRS measures over the right lumbar erector spinae were not significantly altered over time, had average levels above baseline resting values of oxygen saturation, and exhibited poor correlations with the perceived low back discomfort scores (r = 0.07–0.47) for standing and seated exposures respectively. These findings support the notion that the mechanism of LBD from exposure to sedentary tasks is not attributable to prolonged low-level static muscle activations that could occlude blood flow and the delivery of oxygen to working muscles.
In this study 10 subjects worked two weeks in their rather new normal work station and two weeks in another work station. These VDU workers were trained and received a table making standing work possible. They also received a chair making half sitting possible. The effects on experienced variation in posture and discomfort were studied. It appeared that most of the time people work in the normal sitting situation (69% in the new and 90% in the old work station). Sometimes the half sitting and standing posture was used in the new situation. This new situation had a significant lower discomfort in the back, neck and shoulder region compared with the old situation.
Background:
Occupations that require prolonged periods of standing have been associated with increased reports of musculoskeletal disorders including low back pain. Previous work has utilized a prospective design of functionally inducing low back pain in previously asymptomatic individuals during a prolonged standing task. Increased trunk and gluteus medius muscle co-activation has been found in previously asymptomatic individuals who developed pain during standing compared with individuals who did not develop pain.
Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the subjective and biomechanical responses of known pain developers and non-pain developers (previously determined during level standing) when exposed to the same prolonged standing task protocol completed while standing on a +/-16 degrees sloped surface.
Results:
Overall low back pain scores were reduced by 59.4% for the pain development group, identified in level standing, when using the sloped surface. There was a marked decrease in the co-activation of the bilateral gluteus medius muscles in the known pain developers when standing on the sloped surface compared with level standing. However the non-pain developer group responded in the opposite direction by having an increase in the co-activation of these muscles, although they did not have a commensurate increase in low back pain. There were changes in both the postural and joint-loading variables examined. These changes were minimal and in most cases the sloped surface produced responses that bracketed the postures and loading magnitudes found in level standing depending on whether the participant was standing on the +16 degrees or -16 degrees surface.
Conclusions:
The sloped surface resulted in decreased subjective low back pain during prolonged standing. There were also associated biomechanical changes resulting from using a sloped surface during prolonged standing. These positive findings were supported in an exit survey satisfaction rating with 87.5% indicating that they would use the sloped surface if they were in an occupational setting that required prolonged standing work.
Although using a treadmill workstation may change the sedentary nature of desk jobs, it is unknown if walking while working affects performance on office-work related tasks.
To assess differences between seated and walking conditions on motor skills and cognitive function tests.
Eleven males (24.6 +/- 3.5 y) and 9 females (27.0 +/- 3.9 y) completed a test battery to assess selective attention and processing speed, typing speed, mouse clicking/drag-and-drop speed, and GRE math and reading comprehension. Testing was performed under seated and walking conditions on 2 separate days using a counterbalanced, within subjects design. Participants did not have an acclimation period before the walking condition.
Paired t tests (P < .05) revealed that in the seated condition, completion times were shorter for mouse clicking (26.6 +/- 3.0 vs. 28.2 +/- 2.5s) and drag-and-drop (40.3 +/- 4.2 vs. 43.9 +/- 2.5s) tests, typing speed was greater (40.2 +/- 9.1 vs. 36.9 +/- 10.2 adjusted words x min(-1)), and math scores were better (71.4 +/- 15.2 vs. 64.3 +/- 13.4%). There were no significant differences between conditions in selective attention and processing speed or in reading comprehension.
Compared with the seated condition, treadmill walking caused a 6% to 11% decrease in measures of fine motor skills and math problem solving, but did not affect selective attention and processing speed or reading comprehension.
Seated working positions are often regarded as a cause for discomfort in the musculoskeletal system. Performing work in different working positions--that is, alternating between sitting and standing (sit-stand workstation paradigm)--could help reduce physical complaints.
The questions were whether performing office work partly in a standing position leads to reduced complaints and whether standing would change the efficiency of data entry office work.
We investigated the effect of a sit-stand workstation paradigmd during experimental data entry office work on physical and psychological complaints and data entry efficiency by conducting a randomized controlled trial with 60 male participants ages 18 to 35 years.
In this experiment, musculoskeletal complaints were reduced by a sit-stand workstation paradigm. A trend could be identified indicating a small but nonsignificant loss of efficiency in data entry while standing.
A sit-stand workstation paradigm reduces musculoskeletal complaints without considerably affecting data entry efficiency under the presented study conditions (young male participants, short duration, fixed and controlled sit-stand workstation paradigm, simulated experimental working condition).
According to the present data, implementing a sit-stand workstation paradigm can be an effective workplace health intervention to reduce musculoskeletal complaints. This experiment encourages further studies on the effectiveness of a sit-stand workstation paradigm. Experimental research and field studies that prove the reduction of complaints when introducing a sit-stand workstation paradigm in the workplace could be the basis for evidence-based recommendations regarding such interventions.
The main objective of this study was to examine the effects of human-computer interface design on postural dynamics, i.e., changes in working postures and postural discomfort exhibited by operators of the computer-based remote bar coding (RBC) system. In addition, the effects of different work/rest schedules on postural dynamics were evaluated. Twelve subjects participated in the laboratory experiment, which consisted of twelve scenarios utilizing two cognitive task requirement factors, i.e., (1) information presentation mode, defined through the letter image preview on the computer screen (none or one preview image); and (2) the information processing mode, defined through the specific keying method (key all characters or key 5 digits only). The third experimental factor was the work/rest schedule (50 min work/10 min break, 2 h of work/15 min break, or flexible schedule). The results showed that requirements of human-computer interface design significantly affected the operators' postural dynamics. It was concluded that not only the physical, organizational, or psychosocial work environment characteristics, but also the cognitive task characteristics are important for assessment of postural effects in the VDT work. The relationship between interface design, mental workload and postural dynamics should be carefully considered in future studies aimed at optimizing the human-computer data entry tasks.
Development, specification and evaluation of a work table, suitable for VDU work with a mouse, was carried out in collaboration with furniture manufacturers, employees and an employer in a Research and Development Company. Ten VDU-operators expressed their ideas for improvements at their present workstations and the company and the researchers made a preliminary version of workstation specification to the furniture manufacturers. The three different furniture manufacturers set up four test stations with prototype tables, which were evaluated by 39 subjects using comfort ratings. The results of the comfort ratings and comments from the subjects were used when the final specification for new workstations was made. Three new work tables were evaluated in the ten selected operators' ordinary environment. Evaluations were made by technical recordings of physical load during work and by preference studies. The most important results from the evaluation can be summarized as follows: the work table should make it possible to support the arms, make it possible to vary between sitting and standing posture and prevent extreme outward rotation of the shoulder. Futhermore, the study showed that it is possible to improve the furniture manufacturers' knowledge and attitudes regarding how to minimize musculoskeletal disorders and to improve the study persons' working technique.
In recent years, a number of exercise programs have been developed for computer operators in order to promote movement and to reduce musculoskeletal discomfort. Tests of the effectiveness of these exercise programs, especially in field trials, are rare. The authors tested the hypothesis that doing regular, short-term (<10 days) exercises while at a workstation would decrease musculoskeletal discomfort and increase in-chair movement (ICM).
Eleven directory assistance operators (8 female, 3 male) with no recent history of musculoskeletal problems volunteered.
In-chair movement was measured by tracking the center of pressure at the buttock-chair interface as subjects sat on a pressure-sensitive mat. Musculoskeletal discomfort was rated through the use of the Body Part Discomfort Scale (BPDS) and a body map. We used a revised Dataspan exercise program. Operators were tested for 2 hours, on 2 occasions: before and after doing exercises for 3- to 5-day shifts. During each test, ICM was measured during three 15-minute periods at the start of the test and at the end of hours 1 and 2. Subjects rated musculoskeletal discomfort per body part using the BPDS at 30, 60, and 120 minutes of each test. The effects of exercises on ICM and BPDS ratings were examined with a two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance with day (2) x time (3) designs.
When subjects were doing their exercises, ICM was higher at the start and hour 1, and perceived discomfort was lower during each test period (start, hour 1, and hour 2). When not exercising, subjects' musculoskeletal discomfort increased over time and was higher during all test periods.
Exercises done by video display unit operators while at a workstation resulted in short-term decreases in both musculoskeletal discomfort and postural immobility. These results suggest that workstation exercises may be beneficial.
The concepts of comfort and discomfort in sitting are under debate. There is no widely accepted definition, although it is beyond dispute that comfort and discomfort are feelings or emotions that are subjective in nature. Yet, beside several subjective methodologies, several objective methods (e.g. posture analysis, pressure measurements, electromyography (EMG) are in use to assess sitting comfort or discomfort. In the current paper a theoretical framework is presented, in which comfort and discomfort were defined and the hypothetical associations with underlying factors were indicated. Next, the literature was reviewed to determine the relationships between objective measures and subjective ratings of comfort and discomfort. Twenty-one studies were found in which simultaneous measures of an objective parameter and a subjective rating of comfort or discomfort were obtained. Pressure distribution appears to be the objective measure with the most clear association with the subjective ratings. For other variables, regarding spinal profile or muscle activity for instance, the reported associations are less clear and usually not statistically significant.
The introduction of sit-stand worktables was examined in this study. Purchasers at four companies were interviewed regarding preparations prior to purchase, follow-up after installation, and if expectations had been fulfilled. Personnel at the four companies answered a questionnaire examining use of the worktables' sit-stand function, and the influence of some variables on this. Utilisation of the sit-stand function was less than what could be expected to relieve static musculoskeletal loading during VDU work. Pain experienced during the past year, and education on the use of the worktable gave rise to modest increases in utilisation. Investment in sit-stand worktables was satisfactory to purchasers, in terms of providing flexible furniture to suit modern organisational dynamics. Users were, in general, positive to the worktables, but showed poor compliance in using them. User and purchaser satisfaction with regard to improving individual health ergonomics was questionable in respect of the low level of usage.
To quantify the relative contribution of work-related physical and psychosocial factors, individual factors, and health-related factors to the development of more severe musculoskeletal pain in the neck and upper limbs and the back and lower limbs.
In this cohort study of 5,604 workers from industrial and service companies, we collected information on work-related physical and psychosocial exposures and on individual and health-related factors. Questionnaires were completed at baseline by 4,006 participants (71.5%) and after 24 months by 3,276 (82%). At followup, participants with no or minor pain were included in Cox regression analyses to determine which factors predicted more severe regional pain.
Of the 4,006 baseline respondents, only 7.7% were free of regional pain. A total of 1,513 participants were free of severe pain at baseline and completed the 24-month followup. Highly repetitive work predicted arm pain, heavy lifting and prolonged standing predicted low back pain, and heavy pushing or pulling predicted lower limb pain. Low job satisfaction predicted neck/shoulder pain and lower limb pain, whereas other psychosocial work place factors were only of marginal importance. High levels of fear avoidance were associated with arm pain and lower limb pain. A high body mass index was highly associated with lower limb pain.
Very few workers are totally free of pain in musculoskeletal regions, and we question the concept of incidence of musculoskeletal pain. The transition from no or minor pain to more severe pain was influenced by physical and psychosocial work place factors together with individual and health-related factors.
Illness and illness behaviour are important problems in the Dutch workforce. Illness has been associated with job demands, with high demands relating to poorer health. It has not been reported whether subjective health complaints relate to job demands.
To investigate whether perceived (physical and mental) workload and specific job demands are associated with self-reported health complaints.
Cross-sectional study of a random sample of 983 male employees working in manufacturing industry. Job demands and health complaints were investigated using the self-completed Basic Occupational Health Questionnaire. The relationship between demands and health complaints were studied using logistic regression analysis with health complaints as the outcome variable.
The questionnaires of 867 workers (88%) were suitable for analysis. The prevalence of health complaints was high. Physical workload was related to musculoskeletal symptoms. Standing work predicted pain in the legs and thoracic as well as low back pain, while sedentary work predicted low back pain. Heavy lifting predicted low back pain and pain in the extremities. Regular bending predicted low back pain and pain in the legs. Repetitive movements predicted pain in the arms and thoracic as well as low back pain. Mental workload was associated with fatigue and chest pain. Working under time pressure and working behind schedule were not related to self-reported health complaints.
Perceived physical job demands matched with self-reported musculoskeletal complaints, whereas perceived mental job demands were unrelated to specific complaints.
The objective of this prospective cohort study was to evaluate if peak or cumulative musculoskeletal discomfort may predict future low-back, neck or shoulder pain among symptom-free workers. At baseline, discomfort per body region was rated on a 10-point scale six times during a working day. Questionnaires on pain were sent out three times during follow-up. Peak discomfort was defined as a discomfort level of 2 at least once during a day; cumulative discomfort was defined as the sum of discomfort during the day. Reference workers reported a rating of zero at each measurement. Peak discomfort was a predictor of low-back pain (relative risk (RR) 1.79), neck pain (RR 2.56), right or left shoulder pain (RR 1.91 and 1.90). Cumulative discomfort predicted neck pain (RR 2.35), right or left shoulder pain (RR 2.45 and 1.64). These results suggest that both peak and cumulative discomfort could predict future musculoskeletal pain.
Thinking on your feet " : a qualitative evaluation of sitestand desks in an Australian workplace Does musculoskeletal discomfort at work predict future musculoskeletal pain?
- A C Grunseit
- J Y Chau
- Van
- H P Ploeg
- A Bauman
- H H Hamberg-Van Reenen
- Van
- A J Beek
- B M Blatter
- Van
- M P Grinten
- W Van Mechelen
- P M Bongers
Grunseit, A.C., Chau, J.Y., van der Ploeg, H.P., Bauman, A., 2013. " Thinking on your feet " : a qualitative evaluation of sitestand desks in an Australian workplace. BMC Public Health 13, 365. Hamberg-van Reenen, H.H., van der Beek, A.J., Blatter, B.M., van der Grinten, M.P., van Mechelen, W., Bongers, P.M., 2008. Does musculoskeletal discomfort at work predict future musculoskeletal pain? Ergonomics 51 (5), 637e648. Hasegawa, T., Inoue, K., Tsutsue, O., Kumashiro, M., 2001. Effect of a sitestand schedule on a light repetitive task. Int. J. Ind. Ergon. 28, 219e224.
Development of a practical method for measuring body part discomfort
- Van Der Grinten
- M P Smitt
Van Der Grinten, M.P., Smitt, P., 1992. Development of a practical method for measuring body part discomfort. In: Advances in Industrial Ergonomics and Safety IV, pp. 311e318.