Validity of the Modified SIT-Q 7d for Estimating Sedentary Break Frequency and Duration in Home-Based Office Workers During the COVID-19 Global Pandemic: A Secondary Analysis

Office workers who transitioned to working from home are spending an even higher percentage of their workday sitting compared with being "in-office” and this is an emerging health concern. With many office workers continuing to work from home since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative to have a validated self-report questionnaire to assess sedentary behavior, break frequency, and duration, to reduce the cost and burden of using device-based assessments. This secondary analysis study aimed to validate the modified Last 7-Day Sedentary Behavior Questionnaire (SIT-Q 7d) against an activPAL4™ device in full-time home-based "office” workers (n = 148;mean age = 44.90). Participants completed the modified SIT-Q 7d and wore an activPAL4 for a full work week. The findings showed that the modified SIT-Q 7d had low (ρ =.35–.37) and weak (ρ =.27–.28) criterion validity for accurate estimates of break frequency and break duration, respectively. The 95% limits of agreement were large for break frequency (26.85–29.01) and medium for break duration (5.81–8.47), indicating that the modified SIT-Q 7d may not be appropriate for measuring occupational sedentary behavior patterns at the individual level. Further validation is still required before confidently recommending this self-report questionnaire to be used among this population to assess breaks in sedentary time. © 2023 Human Kinetics, Inc.

The relationship between objectively measured sitting time, posture, and low back pain in sedentary employees during COVID-19.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between objectively measured sitting time, posture, and low back pain (LBP) in adults with full-time (≥ 40 h/week) sedentary "desk" jobs. Physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) between work environments (home vs. office) were also compared during COVID-19. Methods: Participants (N = 53; M age = 41 ± 12years) were full-time employees in sedentary jobs during COVID-19. A survey with demographic, work environment, and LBP questions was completed; Thomas Test assessed poor hip posture. ActivPAL devices were worn for ≥ 4 valid days (≥ 10 h/d) to assess waking sitting time (min/d). Binomial logistic regressions examined sitting as a predictor of poor posture and LBP; ANOVAs compared PA and SB between work environments. Results: Objectively measured sitting (min/day) predicted poor hip posture (ß = - 0.01, p < 0.046) but was not significant for LBP (ß = 0.002, p < 0.43). Participants who worked from home had significantly higher sitting time (569 ± 111 vs. 477 ± 46 min/d; p < 0.04), higher muscle strengthening PA (2.2 ± 2 vs. 0.5 ± 1.2d/week p < 0.02), but no difference in aerobic PA (p < 0.15), than those who worked from an office. Conclusion: Given the shift to remote work during COVID-19, employees are at high risk for postural compensations that lead to LBP due to high SB and poor work ergonomics at home. There is a need to develop home-based behavioral and exercise interventions to reduce sitting, help improve posture, and invest in proper ergonomic homework equipment.

Validity of the occupational sitting and physical activity questionnaire (OSPAQ) for home-based office workers during the COVID-19 global pandemic: A secondary analysis.

High levels of occupational sitting is an emerging health concern. As working from home has become a common practice as a result of COVID-19, it is imperative to validate an appropriate self-report measure to assess sitting in this setting. This secondary analysis study aimed to validate the occupational sitting and physical activity questionnaire (OSPAQ) against an activPAL4™ in full-time home-based 'office' workers (n = 148; mean age = 44.90). Participants completed a modified version of the OSPAQ and wore an activPAL4™ for a full work week. The findings suggest that the modified OSPAQ has fair levels of validity in terms of correlation for sitting and standing (ρ = 0.35-0.43, all p < 0.05) and agreement (bias = 2-12%) at the group level; however, estimates were poor at an individual level, as suggested by wide limits of agreement (±22-30%). Overall, the OSPAQ showed to be an easily administered and valid questionnaire to measure group level sitting and standing in this sample of adults.

A randomised-controlled feasibility study of the REgulate your SItting Time (RESIT) intervention for reducing sitting time in individuals with type 2 diabetes: study protocol.

BACKGROUND: People with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) generally spend a large amount of time sitting. This increases their risk of cardiovascular disease, premature mortality, diabetes-related complications and mental health problems. There is a paucity of research that has evaluated interventions aimed at reducing and breaking up sitting in people with T2DM. The primary aim of this study is to assess the feasibility of delivering and evaluating a tailored intervention to reduce and break up sitting in ambulatory adults with T2DM. METHODS: This is a mixed-methods randomised controlled feasibility trial. Participants (n=70) with T2DM aged 18-85 years who sit ≥7 h/day and are able to ambulate independently will be randomly allocated to receive the REgulate your SItting Time (RESIT) intervention or usual care (control group) for 24 weeks. RESIT is a person-focused intervention that delivers a standardised set of behaviour change techniques to the participants, but the mode through which they are delivered can vary depending on the tools selected by each participant. The intervention includes an online education programme, health coach support, and a range of self-selected tools (smartphone apps, computer-prompt software, and wearable devices) that deliver behaviour change techniques such as self-monitoring of sitting and providing prompts to break up sitting. Measures will be taken at baseline, 12 and 24 weeks. Eligibility, recruitment, retention and data completion rates will be used to assess trial feasibility. Sitting, standing and stepping will be measured using a thigh-worn activity monitor. Cardiometabolic health, physical function, psychological well-being, sleep and musculoskeletal symptoms will also be assessed. A process evaluation will be conducted including evaluation of intervention acceptability and fidelity. DISCUSSION: This study will identify the feasibility of delivering a tailored intervention to reduce and break up sitting in ambulatory adults with T2DM and evaluating it through a randomised controlled trial (RCT) design. The findings will inform a fully powered RCT to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN, ISRCTN14832389 ; Registered 6 August 2020.