Study: Health effects of sit-stand desks and interventions aimed to reduce sitting at work are still unproven

An updated Cochrane Review, published today in the Cochrane Library, says that the benefits of a variety of interventions intended to reduce sitting at work are very uncertain.

Millions of people worldwide sit at a desk all day, and over recent years this has led to increased levels of physical inactivity in the work place. Health experts have warned that long periods of sitting can increase the risk of heart disease and obesity. There are a number of different approaches to reduce the amount of time we spend sitting down while at work. One option that is increasing in popularity is the sit-stand desk. These are desks that are designed to allow you to work at your desk sitting down or standing up.

A team of Cochrane researchers updated a systematic review that looked at the effects of different strategies to encourage people to reduce the amount of time they spend sitting at work. They looked at 20 studies with a total of 2,174 participants from the US, the UK and Europe. They included evidence from both randomized and non-randomized studies.

Although sit-stand desks are popular, their potential health benefits are very uncertain. The researchers found very low-quality evidence from three non-randomized studies and low-quality evidence from three randomised studies, with 218 participants, that people who used sit-stand desks sat between 30 minutes and two hours less, compared to when they used conventional desks during the working day. Sit-stand desks also reduced total sitting time, both at work and outside work, and the durations of sitting episodes that last 30 minutes or longer. Standing more did not produce harmful effects in the studies, such as musculoskeletal pain, varicose veins, or a decrease in productivity.

Other interventions aimed at reducing inactivity, such as taking a walk during breaks, didn’t change the length of sitting time at work. The authors found low-quality evidence that counselling may lead to a modest reduction in sitting time (around 30 minutes on average). The researchers found a number of limitations in the included studies that reduced their confidence in the validity and applicability of the results from the trials. The quality of evidence was low for most of the interventions looked at, mainly because the studies were poorly designed and recruited small numbers of participants.

Study Citation

Workplace interventions for reducing sitting at work

1. Nipun Shrestha^1,*,
2. Katriina T Kukkonen-Harjula^2,3,
3. Jos H Verbeek⁴,
4. Sharea Ijaz⁴,
5. Veerle Hermans⁵,
6. Soumyadeep Bhaumik⁶

Editorial Group: Cochrane Work Group

Published Online: 17 MAR 2016

Assessed as up-to-date: 2 JUN 2015

DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD010912.pub3

Copyright © 2016 The Cochrane Collaboration. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Full citation: Shrestha N, Kukkonen-Harjula KT, Verbeek JH, Ijaz S, Hermans V, Bhaumik S. Workplace interventions for reducing sitting at work. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2016, Issue 3. Art. No.: CD010912. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD010912.pub3

E Link | http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD010912.pub3/epdf

Regards

Pralhad Jadhav

Senior Librarian

Khaitan & Co

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