The physical activity at work (PAW) study: a cluster randomised trial of a multicomponent short-break intervention to reduce sitting time and increase physical activity among office workers in Thailand.

Background: Sedentary behaviour increases the risks of non-communicable diseases. The objective of this trial was to evaluate the effect of the Physical Activity at Work multicomponent intervention to reduce sedentary behaviour in Thai office workers. Methods: Offices under the Ministry of Public Health Thailand, were randomly allocated to the intervention and control group in a 1:1 ratio, stratified by office size. The intervention included individual (pedometer and lottery-based financial incentives), social (group movement breaks), environmental (posters), and organisational (leader encouragement) components. At baseline and 6-month follow-up, participants wore ActiGraphTM on the waist for ten days. The primary outcome was the between-group difference in sedentary time at 6-month, analysed using a linear mixed-effects model. Other outcomes were physical activity, biomarkers, productivity, and musculoskeletal health. Trial registration: The PAW study was registered at the Thai Clinical Trials Registry (ID TCTR20200604007) on 02 June 2020. Findings: 282 office workers were recruited and randomly allocated to the control group (142 participants, nine offices) and the intervention group (140 participants, nine offices). The mean age was 38.6 years (SD = 10.4), and 81% were women. There was no evidence of intervention effects on sedentary time during waking hours (-26.8; 95% CI = -69.2 to 15.7 min), physical activity levels, or biomarkers between groups at 6-month. In the adjusted analysis, increases in time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (5.45; 95% CI = -0.15 to 11.1 min) and step count (718; 95% CI = -45 to 1481 steps) during waking hours were observed, although there was no evidence of a difference between groups. Interpretation: The intervention did not significantly reduce sedentary time in Thai office workers. Suboptimal intervention uptake due to Covid-19 pandemic restrictions and loss of statistical power associated with recruitment constraints may explain this result. Further investigations are needed to evaluate the processes of the trial. Funding: The Thai Health Promotion Foundation and the International Decision Support Initiative (iDSI).

Impact of Subsidy on the Use of Personalized Medicine in Breast Cancer.

OBJECTIVES: Advances in adjuvant therapy have led to increased survival rates after cancer prognosis. Herceptin, a targeted therapy, had first been introduced to Singapore in 2006. We aimed to assess whether subsidies for Herceptin from 2012 will lead to changes in uptake among HER2-positive patients by socioeconomic groups. METHODS: Random-intercept logistic regression was used to model diagnostic test and Herceptin uptake using the Singapore Breast Cancer Cohort from 2006 to 2018, adjusting for covariates such as education, housing type, and marital status before and after subsidies. Interrupted time series analysis was used to evaluate the impact of Herceptin subsidy on treatment uptake. Concentration index was also computed by ethnicity and education to measure inequality in uptake. RESULTS: We found that the odds of diagnostic testing were not associated with socioeconomic factors. Nevertheless, before subsidies, highest education attained (odds ratio 4.57; 95% confidence interval 1.90-11.02; P<.01) significantly increased the odds of Herceptin uptake. These odds were leveled after the introduction of subsidies to Herceptin treatment from 2012. After subsidy, we also found that Herceptin uptake increased significantly by 11.4% (95% confidence interval 3.47-19.4; P=.016). In addition, inequality of Herceptin use decreased especially among the Indians, where at least 40% were used in the higher educated group before subsidy. CONCLUSIONS: Subsidies have lowered the barriers to Herceptin uptake for marginalized individuals. Having targeted subsidies for socioeconomically disadvantaged groups may work more efficiently in providing ease of access than a blanket subsidy in Herceptin.

The physical activity at work (PAW) study protocol: a cluster randomised trial of a multicomponent short-break intervention to reduce sitting time and increase physical activity among office workers in Thailand.

BACKGROUND: High levels of sedentary behaviour (SB) are associated with non-communicable diseases. In 2016, the estimated total healthcare expenditure from physical activity (PA) in Thailand added up to $190 million in international dollars. The challenge to reduce SB and increase PA among office workers is more urgent now than ever as Thailand is transforming itself from a predominantly rural country to an increasingly urban one. This study will investigate the effectiveness of a multicomponent short break intervention on the reduction of SB during office hours. METHODS/DESIGN: This two-armed Physical Activity at Work (PAW) cluster randomised controlled trial will recruit 360 office workers from 18 offices in the Thailand's Ministry of Public Health (MOPH). Offices will be randomised to either the intervention group or the control group. The multicomponent intervention is informed by the Social Ecological Model and Behaviour Change Techniques (BCTs) and contains four components: (i) organisational, including heads of the participating divisions leading exercises, sending encouragement text messages and acknowledging efforts; (ii) social, including team movement breaks and team-based incentives; (iii) environmental, including posters to encourage exercise; and (iv) individual components including real-time PA feedback via an individual device. The main intervention component will be a short break intervention. The primary outcome of this study is the sedentary time of office workers. Secondary outcomes include time spent on PA, cardiometabolic outcomes, work productivity, musculoskeletal pain, and quality of life. The study also includes process and economic evaluations from the individual and societal perspective. DISCUSSION: The study will be the first experimental study in Thailand to investigate the effect of a short-break intervention at the workplace on SBs of office workers and health outcomes. The study will also include a cost-effectiveness analysis to inform investments on short break interventions under the Universal Healthcare Coverage in Thailand, which includes health promotion and disease prevention component. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The PAW study has been registered at the Thai Clinical Trials Registry (TCTR) under the study ID TCTR20200604007 . Registered 02 June 2020,.