Perspectives on a ‘Sit Less, Move More’ Intervention in Australian Emergency Call Centres

Background: Prolonged sitting is associated with increased risk of chronic diseases. Workplace programs that aim to reduce sitting time (sit less) and increase physical activity (move more) have targeted desk-based workers in corporate and university settings with promising results. However, little is known about 'move more, sit less' programs for workers in other types of jobs and industries, such as shift workers. This formative research examines the perceptions of a 'sit less, move more' program in an Australian Emergency Call Centre that operates 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.  Methods: Participants were employees (N = 39, 72% female, 50% aged 36-55 years) recruited from Emergency Services control centres located in New South Wales, Australia. The 'sit less, move more' intervention, consisting of emails, posters and timer lights, was co-designed with the management team and tailored to the control centre environment and work practices, which already included electronic height-adjustable sit-stand workstations for all call centre staff. Participants reported their perceptions and experiences of the intervention in a self-report online questionnaire, and directly to the research team during regular site visits. Questionnaire topics included barriers and facilitators to standing while working, mental wellbeing, effects on work performance, and workplace satisfaction. Field notes and open-ended response data were analysed in an iterative process during and after data collection to identify the main themes.  Results: Whilst participants already had sit-stand workstations, use of the desks in the standing position varied and sometimes were contrary to expectations (e.g, less tired standing than sitting; standing when experiencing high call stress). Participants emphasised the "challenging" and "unrelenting" nature of their work. They reported sleep issues ("always tired"), work stress ("non-stop demands"), and feeling mentally and physically drained due to shift work and length of shifts. Overall, participants liked the initiative but acknowledged that their predominantly sitting habits were entrenched and work demands took precedence.  Conclusions: This study demonstrates the low acceptability of a 'sit less, move more' program in shift workers in high stress environments like emergency call centres. Work demands take priority and other health concerns, like poor sleep and high stress, may be more salient than the need to sit less and move more during work shifts

Considerations when using the activPAL monitor in field-based research with adult populations

Research indicates that high levels of sedentary behavior (sitting or lying with low energy expenditure) are adversely associated with health. A key factor in improving our understanding of the impact of sedentary behavior (and patterns of sedentary time accumulation) on health is the use of objective measurement tools that collect date and time-stamped activity information. One such tool is the activPAL monitor. This thigh-worn device uses accelerometer-derived information about thigh position to determine the start and end of each period spent sitting/lying, standing, and stepping, as well as stepping speed, step counts, and postural transitions. The activPAL is increasingly being used within field-based research for its ability to measure sitting/lying via posture. We summarise key issues to consider when using the activPAL in physical activity and sedentary behavior field-based research with adult populations. It is intended that the findings and discussion points be informative for researchers who are currently using activPAL monitors or are intending to use them. Pre-data collection decisions, monitor preparation and distribution, data collection considerations, and manual and automated data processing possibilities are presented using examples from current literature and experiences from 2 research groups from the UK and Australia

Accelerometer-Derived Activity Phenotypes in Young Adults: a Latent Class Analysis.

Purpose: To identify “activity phenotypes” from accelerometer-derived activity characteristics among young adults. Methods: Participants were young adults (n = 628, mean age, 22.1, SD 0.6) in the Raine Study in Western Australia. Sex-specific latent class analyses identified sub-groups using eight indicators derived from 7-day hip-worn Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometers: daily steps, total daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), MVPA variation, MVPA intensity, MVPA bout duration, sedentary-to-light ratio, sedentary-to-light ratio variation, and sedentary bout duration. Results: Five activity phenotypes were identified for women (n = 324) and men (n = 304). Activity phenotype 1 for both women (35%) and men (30%) represented average activity characteristics. Phenotype 2 for women (17%) and men (16%) was characterized by below average total activity and MVPA (10.6 and 16.7 min of MVPA/day, women and men respectively). Phenotype 3 for women (15%) and men (23%) was characterized by below average total physical activity, average MVPA (32.6 and 36.5 min/day), high sedentary-light ratio and long sedentary bouts. Phenotype 4 differed between women (29%) and men (18%) but both had low sedentary-to-light ratios and shorter sedentary bouts. Finally, phenotype 5 in both women (4%) and men (12%) was characterized by extreme MVPA metrics (81.3 and 96.1 min/day). Conclusions: Five activity phenotypes were identified for each gender in this population of young adults which can help design targeted interventions to enhance or modulate activity phenotypes