Evaluation of a workplace treadmill desk intervention: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a 3-month treadmill desk intervention in eliciting changes in physical activity and sedentary behavior among overweight/obese office workers.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted among overweight/obese office workers (n = 41; mean age = 40.1 ± 10.1 years) at a private workplace. Participants were randomly assigned to a shared-treadmill desk intervention (n = 21) or a usual working condition control group (n = 20). Accelerometer-determined physical activity and sedentary behavior were measured before and after the intervention.

Results: Compared with the control group, the intervention group increased daily steps (1622 steps/day; P = 0.013) and light physical activity (1.6 minutes/hour; P = 0.008), and decreased sedentary time (-3.6 minutes/hour; P = 0.047) during working hours.

Conclusions: Shared-treadmill desks in the workplace can be effective at promoting favorable changes in light physical activity (specifically 40 to 99 steps/minute) and sedentary behavior among overweight/obese office workers.