Rise and Recharge: Exploring Employee Perceptions of and Contextual Factors Influencing an Individual-Level E-Health Smartphone Intervention to Reduce Office Workers’ Sedentary Time at Work

Abigail S. Morris, Kelly A. Mackintosh, Neville Owen, Paddy C. Dempsey, David W. Dunstan and Melitta A. McNarry
Additional contact information
Abigail S. Morris: School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Swansea University, Swansea SA1 8EN, UK
Kelly A. Mackintosh: School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Swansea University, Swansea SA1 8EN, UK
Neville Owen: Baker Heart & Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
Paddy C. Dempsey: Baker Heart & Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
David W. Dunstan: Baker Heart & Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
Melitta A. McNarry: School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Swansea University, Swansea SA1 8EN, UK

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 18, 1-15

Abstract: This feasibility study explored the contextual factors influencing office workers’ adherence to an e-health intervention targeting total and prolonged sedentary time over 12 weeks. A three-arm quasi-randomized intervention included prompts at 30 or 60 min intervals delivered via a smartphone application, and a no-prompt comparison arm. Fifty-six office workers completed baseline (64% female) and 44 completed the 12 week follow-up (80% retention). Ecological momentary assessments (EMA) captured contextual data, with 82.8 ± 24.9 EMA prompt questionnaires completed weekly. Two focus groups with n = 8 Prompt 30 and 60 participants were conducted one-month post-intervention to address intervention acceptability and feasibility. Contextual findings indicate that when working on a sedentary task (i.e., reading or screen-based work) and located at an individual workstation, hourly prompts may be more acceptable and feasible for promoting a reduction in total and prolonged sedentary time compared to 30 min prompts. Interpersonal support also appears important for promoting subtle shifts in sedentary working practices. This novel study gives a real-time insight into the factors influencing adherence to e-health prompts. Findings identified unique, pragmatic considerations for delivering a workplace e-health intervention, indicating that further research is warranted to optimize the method of intervention delivery prior to evaluation of a large-scale intervention.

Keywords: feasibility; workplace; intervention; sedentary behavior; physical activity; standing; mobile application; EMA (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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