Abstract
BackgroundSitting too much has been associated with negative health outcomes. ‘The End of Sitting’ is a newly developed office landscape that moves away from the traditional chair-desk setup. The landscape aims to reduce sitting time by offering a variety of (supported) standing positions. The aim of this study was to determine the usage of the landscape after being placed in the main entrance hall of the VU University in Amsterdam.MethodsWe observed the number of spontaneous visitors as well as the duration of visits, changes to another location within the landscape, and adopted postures. Using questionnaires reasons (not) to visit the landscape, perceived affordances of the landscape and associations with long-term use were determined.ResultsObserved numbers of visitors were relatively low and duration of visits were short, which seemed to indicate visitors were trying out the landscape. The majority of visitors were in an upright position, reflecting the designers’ intentions. Visitors indicated that long-term use would be pleasant to them.Conclusion‘The End of Sitting’ landscape received positive reactions but number of visits were limited in the few months that it was placed in the university main entrance hall. The landscape might be better suited for designated working or study spaces, for which it was originally intended. It might also be worth to explore the landscapes suitability for short stay environments, such as waiting rooms.
Highlights
Sitting too much has been associated with negative health outcomes
Several interventions to reduce sitting time have been developed for office workers [8,9,10]
The landscape and study design A cut-out of the original office landscape was placed in the main entrance hall of the VU University Amsterdam in the Netherlands
Summary
Sitting too much has been associated with negative health outcomes. ‘The End of Sitting’ is a newly developed office landscape that moves away from the traditional chair-desk setup. The health risks of high levels of sitting time are well documented and have been associated with the development of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and premature mortality [1,2,3]. It seems that these effects can only be marginally attenuated by physical activity [3] and there is a need for strategies to reduce sedentary behaviour [4, 5]. The landscape was designed to stimulate visitors to frequently change their posture and location in the landscape
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