Abstract
Background: Accumulating high levels of sedentary behaviour has been linked to poor health outcomes. This study examined the feasibility and preliminary, short-term effects of a theory-based intervention aimed at reducing total and prolonged sedentary behaviour in University students.Design: A quasi-experimental (pre-post) pilot study. Methods: Nine ambulatory undergraduate students (Mean age = 22 ± 2.32) participated in a one-on-one session, including an educational component around the health effects of sedentary behaviour and three distinct activities (feedback, “pros and cons” exercise, and suggested behaviour change strategies). In addition, automated daily text messages targeting sedentary behaviour were sent for 6 days (four messages per day at fixed intervals). The Behaviour Change Wheel framework guided the intervention design process. Outcomes were assessed over 6 days in pre- and post-intervention periods and included accelerometer-based (activPAL) and self-reported (Nightly-Week-U) total sedentary time, as well as accelerometer-based number of steps and prolonged sedentary time. Students completed a process evaluation interview upon completing the trial.Results: From pre- to post-intervention, there was a significant reduction in accelerometer-based total and prolonged sedentary time during weekend days. In addition, there was a significant increase in accelerometer-based standing time and stepping during weekend days. There were no statistically significant changes in accelerometer-based sedentary time, standing time or number of steps during weekdays. Process evaluation results indicated that the intervention and its assessment is feasible. Reductions in sedentary time were likely to be mediated by positive changes in the student's reflective and automatic motivation.Conclusions: Findings from this small, short-term intervention suggest that a single one-on-one session, together with automated text messages, may help University students reduce sedentary behaviour and enhance movement during weekend days. Additional strategies to maximise the intervention effects are discussed (e.g., establishing a collaboration with University staff, introducing sit-to-stand desks, and/or facilitating social support). A randomised control trial assessing sedentary behaviour over a longer period is needed to adequately study the intervention's effectiveness.
Highlights
Sedentary behaviour refers to any waking activity involving low energy expenditure and where sitting, reclining, or lying is the dominant posture (Tremblay et al, 2017)
Among our small sample of University students, both accelerometer and self-reported findings suggest that a one-on-one session, together with daily text messages, might encourage students to reduce sedentary behaviour and increase standing and stepping during weekend days
Based on the process evaluation results, we interpret this might be because of the type of activities predominantly performed during weekend and weekdays. Students reported finding it easier to change their sedentary behaviour patterns during leisure activities, rather than during University-related tasks. This is due to common concerns about the negative impact that reducing and breaking up occupational sitting might have on performance, similar to those reported in previous qualitative studies with University students (Castro et al, 2020b) and office workers (Cole et al, 2015; MacDonald et al, 2018)
Summary
Sedentary behaviour refers to any waking activity involving low energy expenditure and where sitting, reclining, or lying is the dominant posture (Tremblay et al, 2017). The majority of sedentary behaviour and public health research to date have focused on desk-based office workers (Gardner et al, 2016), as most of their working hours are spent sitting. Cotten and Prapavessis (2016) conducted a randomised control trial and found small-to-moderate effects favouring the effectiveness of a text message-based intervention in increasing University students’ non-sedentary behaviours (especially light-intensity physical activity). Mnich et al (2019) found that placing decisional cues in open study areas (i.e., posters and table plaques with phrases such as “Standing up means studying easier!”; “Be smart, stand up!”) is an effective strategy to nudge students to use existing sit-to-stand desks, decreasing University student’s sedentary behaviour and promoting active alternatives. This study examined the feasibility and preliminary, short-term effects of a theory-based intervention aimed at reducing total and prolonged sedentary behaviour in University students
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