By providing workers with a portable pedaling device under their desks, Lucas Carr, assistant professor of health and human physiology and member of the Obesity Research and Education Initiative at the University of Iowa, discovered that people who were once sitting all day were now moving at work without getting up. (Photo credit: University of Iowa)
A new study from the University of Iowa looks at the use of portable pedaling devices underneath one’s work desk as a way to stay active at work.
Lead study author Lucas Carr, assistant professor of health and human physiology and member of the Obesity Research and Education Initiative at the University of Iowa, wished to see if sedentary office workers would use a pedaling device over a long period of time.
Carr notes in a news release from the University of Iowa that key points were providing employees with a pedaling device that was not only comfortable and easy to use, but was also private and theirs alone to pedal.
In his study, 27 employees working at ACT Inc, a company in Iowa City, volunteered to have an activeLife Trainer pedaling device placed under their desk. An activity monitor connected to the pedaling devices tracked each participant’s daily pedal time, which averaged 50 minutes a day over 16 weeks, the release explains.
In addition, participants were sent three emails a week, providing them with tips for how to move more at work and reminders to shift their posture and stand on a regular basis.
At the end of the study, 70% of participants chose to keep their pedaling device.
The study was published recently in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, per the release.
Carr states in the release that providing an employee with an option to be active right at their desk might be an effective way to improve the health of employees who are reluctant to exercise and could possibly reduce healthcare costs for employers.
“This is something that could be provided to just about any employee, regardless of the size of their company or office,” he says. “It’s right at their feet, and they can use it whenever they want without feeling self-conscious in front of their co-workers.”
Carr adds in the release that he and his team are really looking to identify sustainable solutions. “That’s what we are working towards—how do we help people engage in healthy behaviors that can be sustained over the long term.
[Source(s): University of Iowa, Science Daily]
