Exploring the views of desk-based office workers and their employers’ beliefs regarding strategies to reduce occupational sitting time, with an emphasis on technology-supported approaches

Aoife Stephenson, S McDonough, Marie H Murphy, CD Nugent, IM Wilson, Jacqueline Mair

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

8 Citations (Scopus)
150 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Objective: Employee and employer views regarding how technology-supported
strategies can best meet their needs to reduce occupational sitting are
not well known. This study explored target user and key stakeholder beliefs
regarding strategies to reduce occupational sitting focusing on technology supported approaches.
Methods: Nine focus groups and two interviews
(employees, n=27; employers, n=19; board members, n=2) were conducted,
transcribed, and analyzed thematically.
Results: The main barrier to reducing sitting was job-related tasks taking primary priority. Intervention designers should consider individual preferences, environmental factors, judgmental culture, productivity concerns, and staff knowledge. Technology-supported strategies such as smartphone applications, computer software, wearables, and emails were deemed to be useful tools to provide prompts and allow behavioral self-monitoring in an easily individualized
manner.
Conclusions: Technology-supported strategies were seen to be
valuable approaches and might fruitfully be incorporated into future interventions to reduce sitting time.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)149-155
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
Volume62
Issue number2
Early online date13 Jan 2020
DOIs
Publication statusPublished (in print/issue) - 1 Feb 2020

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Funding: AS was supported by a Vice Chancellor’s Research Scholarship from Ulster University.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Copyright:
Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

Keywords

  • digital technology
  • focus group
  • office workers
  • qualitative research
  • sitting time
  • technology-supported strategies

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