Abstract
BackgroundSedentary behaviour (SB) and low levels of physical activity (PA) are predictors of morbidity and mortality. Tertiary employees spend a considerable amount of their daily time seated and new efficient strategies to both reduce sedentary time and increase physical activity are needed. In that context, the REMOVE study aims at evaluating the health effects of a 24-week cycling desk intervention among office workers.MethodsA prospective, open-label, multicentre, two-arm parallel, randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be conducted in office-sitting desk workers. Office workers (N = 80) who have 0.8 full time equivalent hours (FTE) and 75% of this time in a sitting position will be recruited from tertiary worksites in Clermont-Ferrand, France. Subjects will be randomly assigned to one of the two following interventions: (i) PPM6: performance of two 30 min of cycling desk (using portable pedal exercise machine—PPM) per working day for 6 months or (ii) CTL_PPM3: 3 months with no intervention (control) followed by 3 months during which workers will be asked to complete two 30 min of PPM per working day. At baseline (T0), at 3 months (T1) and at 6 months (T2) after the start of the interventions, primary outcomes; 7-day PA and SB (3D-accelerometers), secondary outcomes; body composition (bioelectrical impedance), physical fitness (aerobic fitness, upper and lower limb strength), metabolic outcomes (fasting blood samples), self-perceived stress, anxiety, quality of life at work and job strain (questionnaires), tertiary outcomes; resting metabolic rate and cycling energy expenditure (indirect calorimetry) and eating behaviours (questionnaires) will be measured. An ergonomic approach based on observations and individual interviews will be used to identify parameters that could determine adherence.DiscussionThe REMOVE study will be the first RCT to assess the effects of cycling workstations on objectively measured PA and SB during working and non-working hours and on key physiological and psychological health outcomes. This study will provide important information regarding the implementation of such cycling workstations in office workers and on the associated potential health benefits.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.govNCT04153214. Registered on November 2019, version 1
Highlights
Sedentary behaviour (SB) and low levels of physical activity (PA) are predictors of morbidity and mortality
The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of a cycling workstation program (30 min twice a day) for 3 months among tertiary employees on PA and SB during working and non-working days
The addition of three extra months of intervention (i.e. 6 months total) will further improve the study parameters compared to the effects that will be observed after 3 months of intervention
Summary
Sedentary behaviour (SB) and low levels of physical activity (PA) are predictors of morbidity and mortality. Tertiary employees spend a considerable amount of their daily time seated and new efficient strategies to both reduce sedentary time and increase physical activity are needed. The REMOVE study aims at evaluating the health effects of a 24-week cycling desk intervention among office workers. Time spent sedentary and low levels of physical activity (PA) are known to be major predictors of cardiometabolic risks [3, 4]. Epidemiological studies further suggest that people engaged in prolonged (uninterrupted) have higher cardio-metabolic risks than people who regularly break up their sitting time, independent of the total time spent sitting and physically active [5, 6]. During an 8-h working day, office workers spend on average about 77% of the time sitting, 18% standing and only 5% in other activities [11]. Office workers are vulnerable to the adverse health effects of SB
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