Author(s): SILVA, H., TENO, S.C., JÚDICE, P.B., Institution: UNIVERSIDADE LUSÓFONA: UNIVERSIDADE LUSOFONA DE HUMANIDADES E TECNOLOGIAS, Country: PORTUGAL, Abstract-ID: 905

Background: Sedentary behavior (SB) is a major concern in developed countries, as adults spend over 60% of their potential waking time in this behavior, primarily due to work. To reduce SB at work, sit-stand desks have been proposed as an alternative. Many companies are using them to mitigate worker’s health problems, but their impact on musculoskeletal discomfort and post-work fatigue is still unclear.
Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the impact of a 6-month intervention with a sit-stand desk on office workers musculoskeletal discomfort and post-work fatigue in comparison to a control group.
Methods: This study used a two-arm (1:1) clustered randomized controlled trial design, where participants were randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group. The intervention included a psychoeducation session, motivational prompts, and a contextual modification (i.e., sit-stand desk) in the workplace for 6 months. The control group continued to work as usual and only attended the psychoeducation session. The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire was used to measure musculoskeletal discomfort, while the Need for Recovery Scale was used to measure post-work fatigue. Repeated-measures ANOVA was used with the group as between-subject factor, and the time*group interaction was evaluated considering a 5% significance level.
Results: The study involved 38 participants with an average age of 43.8 years (±8 years). The intervention group significantly reduced musculoskeletal discomfort (total score reduction of 4.89; p=0.018) from baseline to 6 months, while the reduction in the control group was non-significant (4.00; p=0.070). A similar trend was found for post-work fatigue, with the intervention group showing a significant reduction (-1.68; p=0.013), whereas the control group showed a non-significant reduction (-1.05; p=0.128). Regardless, no time*group interactions were found (p>0.05) for both outcomes.
Conclusion: Our 6-month intervention based on sit-stand desk proved to be effective in reducing musculoskeletal discomfort and post-work fatigue of office workers, although the psychoeducation session alone seemed to have some favorable effect on these outcomes. These findings suggest that reducing SB in the workplace can benefit workers musculoskeletal discomfort and post-work fatigue, among other proven health benefits.