Research Plus

Jury still out on height-adjustable workstations

Height-adjustable workstations that allow the user to work in either a sitting or standing position are a potential solution to help reduce the negative health consequences of sedentary work. However, this systematic review finds insufficient evidence to conclude whether or not such workstations are beneficial – better-quality research is needed. All five included studies showed a reduction in sitting time but each had a high risk of methodological bias and there was just one randomised controlled trial. There were no clear results on the effects of the workstations on either musculoskeletal symptoms or anthropometric characteristics (eg height, weight, body fat).

 

Systematic review: height-adjustable workstations to reduce sedentary behaviour in office-based workers. Occupational Medicine 2015; online first: doi: 10.1093/occmed/kqv044

Tags evidence based practice physical activity

Occupational Health at Work August/September 2015 (vol. 12/2) pp40