Planning for sedentary behaviour interventions: office workers' survey and focus group responses

Aims: As sedentary behaviour is becoming more prominent in office-based work environments, this study aimed to explore office workers' perception of sedentary behaviour, explore potential behavioural strategies to reduce sedentary behaviour in the workplace and identify barriers which may hamper behaviour change. Methods: A total of 140 office workers were recruited and surveyed from the same workplace. The survey included questions regarding perception of relationship between sitting time and health. Following the survey, 12 employees also participated in focus groups to identify potential sedentary behaviour intervention strategies and barriers. The responses from the survey and focus groups were thematically analysed. Results: In total, 88% of all participants surveyed agreed that there was a relationship between sitting time and their health. The most prominent theme identified was musuloskeletal complaints followed by general health and weight gain or obesity. The focus groups identified that interventions targeting reducing siting time should include education, supportive and knowledgeable managers, and a variety of behaviour change strategies to address individual preferences and barriers. Conclusion: Multiple behavioural strategies were identified, which appear to be appropriate for sedentary behaviour change

COVID-19 and the impact on the student delivery of exercise physiology services: a mixed method study.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the face-to-face delivery of exercise with social distancing restrictions preventing close contact between client and exercise professional. Additionally, exercise physiology students have had to adapt to these changes and use telehealth to achieve their learning outcomes. This study aimed to explore client and student perspectives of their experience with face-to-face exercise delivery prior to COVID-19 restrictions and telehealth during restrictions. Methods: Clients and students were invited to complete an online survey exploring their experience with student-led exercise services prior to COVID-19 restrictions and during restrictions. Likert-scale questions were compared using a Wilcoxon test and open-ended responses were thematically analysed. Results: Prior to COVID-19 restrictions, all students (n = 7) reported that providing face-to-face exercise physiology services resulted in positive learning experiences and clients (n = 12) were satisfied with their experience. During the restrictions, the client satisfaction with exercise delivery via telehealth remained high, however, students’ learning experience was hindered by the restrictions. Discussion and conclusion: For clients, satisfaction with the exercise delivery remained high and the convenience of telehealth were useful during a pandemic. For students, their exercise prescription and ability to assess and monitor their clients were impacted by using telehealth

Front loading the curriculum: early placement experiences enhance career awareness and motivation for students with diverse career options

Deciding which career path is right for undergraduate students can be challenging and positive outcomes are linked to early work placements. The aim of the current study was to explore the student experience following the introduction of early career-based awareness-raising and reflective learning opportunities in first-year sport and exercise science-based students. Students met with the first-year coordinator to discuss career progression and career aspirations. From this meeting, students were allocated a placement. Following the placement visit, students submitted a reflection piece addressing their experiences at the placement site with six themes identified including: 1) positive experience; 2) degree selection; 3) exposure and reinforcement of practices; 4) career awareness; 5) supervisor impact; and 6) negative experience. The provision of early placement for students in an observational capacity appears to be beneficial to first year experience to assist in consolidating their choice of degree

Acute effects of traditional resistance training on sport-specific performance in adolescent cricket players

Cricket is a sport played internationally, which requires all players to partake in repetitive, high intensity bouts of exercise, to meet the anaerobic demands needed in a match. This can lead to cricket athletes undertaking resistance training to improve an aerobic performance. However, resistance training results in acute physiological stress known as exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD), which has been reported to impair generic physical performance measures, subsequently impacting training practice and increasing injury susceptibility. The aim of this study was to examine the acute impact of EIMD on cricket bowling performance following traditional resistance training

Effect of Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage on Bowling-Specific Motor Skills in Male Adolescent Cricketers

The current study examined the acute effects of a bout of resistance training on cricket bowling-specific motor performance. Eight sub-elite, resistance-untrained, adolescent male fast bowlers (age 15 ± 1.7 years; height 1.8 ± 0.1 m; weight 67.9 ± 7.9 kg) completed a bout of upper and lower body resistance exercises. Indirect markers of muscle damage (creatine kinase [CK] and delayed onset of muscle soreness [DOMS]), anaerobic performance (15-m sprint and vertical jump), and cricket-specific motor performance (ball speed, run-up time, and accuracy) were measured prior to and 24 (T24) and 48 (T48) hours following the resistance training bout. The resistance training bout significantly increased CK (~350%; effect size [ES] = 1.89–2.24), DOMS (~240%; ES = 1.46–3.77) and 15-m sprint times (~4.0%; ES = 1.33–1.47), whilst significantly reducing vertical jump height (~7.0%; ES = 0.76–0.96) for up to 48 h. The ball speed (~3.0%; ES = 0.50–0.61) and bowling accuracy (~79%; ES = 0.39–0.70) were significantly reduced, whilst run-up time was significantly increased (~3.5%; ES = 0.36–0.50) for up to 24 h. These findings demonstrate that a bout of resistance training evokes exercise-induced muscle damage amongst sub-elite, adolescent male cricketers, which impairs anaerobic performance and bowling-specific motor performance measures. Cricket coaches should be cautious of incorporating bowling sessions within 24-h following a bout of resistance training for sub-elite adolescent fast bowlers, particularly for those commencing a resistance training program

Breaking barriers: using the behavior change wheel to develop a tailored intervention to overcome workplace inhibitors to breaking up sitting time

© The Author(s). 2019. Background: The workplace is a prominent domain for excessive sitting. The consequences of increased sitting time include adverse health outcomes such as cardiovascular disease and poor mental wellbeing. There is evidence that breaking up sitting could improve health, however, any such intervention in the workplace would need to be informed by a theoretical evidence-based framework. The aim of this study was to use the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW) to develop a tailored intervention to break up and reduce workplace sitting in desk-based workers. Methods: The BCW guide was followed for this qualitative, pre-intervention development study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 office workers (26–59years, mean age 40.9 [SD=10.8] years; 68% female) who were purposively recruited from local council offices and a university in the East of England region. The interview questions were developed using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). Transcripts were deductively analysed using the COM-B (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation – Behaviour) model of behaviour. The Behaviour Change Technique Taxonomy Version 1 (BCTv1) was thereafter used to identify possible strategies that could be used to facilitate change in sitting behaviour of office workers in a future intervention. Results: Qualitative analysis using COM-B identified that participants felt that they had the physical Capability to break up their sitting time, however, some lacked the psychological Capability in relation to the knowledge of both guidelines for sitting time and the consequences of excess sitting. Social and physical Opportunity was identified as important, such as a supportive organisational culture (social) and the need for environmental resources (physical). Motivation was highlighted as a core target for intervention, both reflective Motivation, such as beliefs about capability and intention and automatic in terms of overcoming habit through reinforcement. Seven intervention functions and three policy categories from the BCW were identified as relevant. Finally, 39 behaviour change techniques (BCTs) were identified as potential active components for an intervention to break up sitting time in the workplace. Conclusions: The TDF, COM-B model and BCW can be successfully applied through a systematic process to understand the drivers of behaviour of office workers to develop a co-created intervention that can be used to break up and decrease sitting in the workplace. Intervention designers should consider the identified BCW factors and BCTs when developing interventions to reduce and break up workplace sitting

Measure, monitor, and reduce sitting time in the workplace

Occupational sedentary behaviour is a growing health concern with occupational sitting accounting for almost half of overall sedentary behaviour. Workers undertaking jobs that require minimal standing or physical activity are at higher risk of accumulating larger amounts of sedentary behaviour compared to blue-collar workers, which highlights the need to reduce sedentary behaviour in predominantly desk-based roles. The explicit use of theoretical frameworks to guide sedentary behaviour change interventions is limited; additionally, followup of multi-component sedentary behaviour interventions is rare thus producing a gap in sedentary behaviour research. A mixed-method embedded intervention design was implemented in order to investigate occupational sedentary behaviour. The first aspect of the thesis was to explore the perceptions of office-based workers prior to a sedentary behaviour change intervention (Chapter 2 & Chapter 3). Based on the initial findings, qualitative and quantitative data were collected to explore the outcomes of a low-cost, multi-component, theory-informed, individually-tailored, six week intervention to reduce occupational sitting time (Chapter 4). Finally, a six month follow-up including quantitative and qualitative data were incorporated to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of the intervention (Chapter 5). The first study (Chapter 2) aimed to explore office workers' perceptions of sedentary behaviour, identify potential behavioural strategies to reduce sedentary behaviour in the workplace, and identify barriers which may hamper behaviour change. Office-based workers from a higher education institution were recruited for the study. The perceptions were explored via an online survey and focus groups which were thematically analysed. One hundred and forty office workers were recruited and surveyed from the same workplace. Following the survey, 12 employees also participated in focus groups. One hundred employees perceived a negative association between sitting time and their health. The most prominent theme identified was musculoskeletal complaints, followed by poor general health, and weight gain. The focus groups identified that interventions (behaviour change strategies) targeting reducing sitting time should include education, supportive and knowledgeable managers. These behaviour change strategies should all be offered to address individual preferences and barriers. The second study (Chapter 3) aimed to explore the perceptions of office-based workers who have successfully modified their occupational sedentary behaviour without a formal intervention. In particular, the study explored the employees' stage of change, strategies used to reduce sedentary behaviour in the workplace, and barriers, which prevented behaviour change from occurring. A qualitative in-depth interview design was used for this study. Participants who regularly undertook office-based tasks during work hours were recruited from a higher education institution. Participants were invited to participate in a semi-structured interview if they currently self-identified as modifying their occupational sedentary behaviour in any way. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and were thematically analysed to identify key themes. Nine participants volunteered for the study and all participants were in the action or maintenance stage of the Transtheoretical Model with two recent replases. A variety of strategies were used by the participants to reduce occupational sedentary behaviour such as having access to a sit-to-stand workstation, developing specific strategies around how the workstation was used, purposeful walking, and peer and managerial support. The participants identified barriers to success such as soreness, fatigue and illness; attending seated meetings, not enough desk space when using the workstation, and the need to be seated to complete work tasks which required high levels of concentration. Following study one and study two, the key findings suggested there was a negative perception regarding sitting time and health, indicating that increased sitting time was a problematic behaviour. Additionally, employees suggested that barriers were likely to occur when attempting to change sedentary behaviour and that a variety of strategies would be useful to reduce these barriers, thus changing occupational sedentary behaviour. This exploratory phase of the research informed the design and implementation of the intervention. The third study (Chapter 4) aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a low-cost, theoryinformed, multi-component, individually-tailored, six week intervention for the reduction of occupational sedentary behaviour of office workers. Full-time office-based workers from a higher education institution were invited to participate in the study. Participants were asked to complete the online survey from study one to explore their perception of sedentary behaviour. Following this, pre-intervention behaviour patterns were collected for five days via an ActivPAL™ activity monitoring device and a self-report workbook. The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), the Transtheoretical Model (TTM), and the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) guided the development and implementation of the intervention. The first stage of the intervention included a face-to-face meeting between the participant and the investigator to discuss information identified from the online survey including the key themes, which were negatively associated with sitting time and health, and the individual ActivPAL™ and selfreport data, which relates to consciousness raising of the TTM, self-reflection and selfregulation of the SCT. During this meeting, participants set goals for the six week intervention, signed a commitment contract, and were asked about their stage of change and their selfefficacy to change behaviour which relates to self-regulation of the SCT, self-liberation of the TTM, and perceived behavioural control of the TPB. Participants were provided with another self-report workbook which included their goals for the six week intervention which relates to the self-regulation of the SCT. Participants received a weekly follow up from the investigator, which relates to verbal persuasion of the SCT, and helping relationships of the TTM. During the final week of the intervention, participants wore an ActivPAL™ and were invited to participate in a follow-up semi-structured interview. Open-ended responses from the online survey, the individual weekly goals, and the post intervention interviews were transcribed verbatim and were thematically analysed. Pre and post intervention ActivPAL™ data, selfreported workbook sitting time and self-efficacy were analysed via paired samples t-tests. Forty-nine participants volunteered for the study however 27 office-based workers had sufficient data to be included in the analysis. Occupational sitting time was reduced by an average of 45.2 ± 60.7 min/work day (p = .001) based on ActivPAL™ data. Self-efficacy towards goal achievement increased post intervention (pre: 69 ± 21%; post: 82 ± 16%; p = .002). The follow-up interviews indicated that the intervention increased awareness of occupational sedentary behaviour and identified the key behaviour change strategies utilised in the intervention. The fourth study (Chapter 5) aimed to explore participant experiences six months post intervention to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of the intervention. Participants who completed the intervention were contacted via email and invited to participate in a six month follow-up data collection phase. Participants were provided with an ActivPAL™ and instructed to wear it for five days during work hours. Following the ActivPAL™ data collection, participants were invited to complete a semi-structured interview conducted by the principal investigator which explored successful behaviour change strategies, barriers to changing sedentary behaviour, self-efficacy towards goal achievement, and stage of change in relation to current sedentary behaviour patterns. The open-ended responses from the follow up interviews were transcribed verbatim and were thematically analysed. The six month follow up ActivPAL™ and self-efficacy data were compared to the pre-and post-intervention data and analysed via paired samples t-tests. A total of 25 out of 27 eligible participants volunteered to participate in the follow up study. Occupational sitting time was reduced by an average of 40.6 ± 76.1 min/work day (p = .018) based on ActivPAL™ data for 23 participants who had sufficient data. Twenty-three participants indicated that they had continued with their occupational sedentary behaviour change in some form. Self-efficacy towards goal achievement remained high at the six month follow-up (post: 83 ± 15%; six month: 81 ± 19%). The most prominent goal identified by the participants to reduce occupational sedentary behaviour was walking. This included walking at lunchtime, walking to visit colleagues, and walking further to the bathroom, to fill their water bottle, or to empty their rubbish. The reduction in occupational sitting time was likely the result of the multi-component and individually-tailored aspects of the intervention which matched the level of willingness of the participants. Including participants in the planning stages may have enhanced their perceived behavioural control over their own sedentary behaviour change. The participants identified that attending seated meetings, perceived workloads or work tasks, and work environments were the key barriers to reducing occupational sitting time. To overcome some of these barriers, a variety of strategies were suggested including changing the work environment by installing sit-to-stand workstations or creating a standing space, and providing prompts by installing computer software, having campaigns or competitions especially with the support from management. At the six month follow-up, 13 participants were in the action stage of change as they continued to work towards their goals. Seven participants had moved to the maintenance stage as they indicated that they were able to successfully reduce their occupational sedentary behaviour for six months or longer. Five participants had relapses and returned to the contemplation or preparation stages as they were not regularly attempting to change their behaviour. In conclusion, the theory-informed, low-cost, individually-tailored, multi-component six week intervention resulted in reduced occupational sedentary behaviour, increased awareness of sedentary behaviours and an increase in self-efficacy to change sedentary behaviour patterns. As expected, there were barriers identified by the participants, which included long or numerous meetings, increased workloads, and poorly planned workstations. These barriers are the likely cause of the relapses identified during the interviews. The findings of the current study suggest short-term sedentary behaviour change is possible with appropriate theory-informed strategies, and further research could explore strategies to overcome barriers which may impact long-term adherence to sedentary behaviour change

The use and evaluation of a theory-informed, multi-component intervention to reduce sedentary behaviour in the workplace

Occupational sedentary behaviour is a growing health concern which accounts for almost half of overall sedentary behaviour. Multi-component interventions are effective for reducing occupational sedentary behaviour. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a theory-informed, personalised intervention for the reduction of occupational sedentary behaviour of office workers. Full-time office-based workers were asked to complete an online survey to explore their perception of sedentary behaviour. Following this, pre-intervention activity patterns were collected for 5 days via an ActivPAL and a self-report workbook. The participants met with the investigator to discuss the key themes identified from the online survey, individual ActivPAL and self-report data. Participants set goals for the 6-week intervention, signed a commitment contract with stage of change and self-efficacy explored. During the final intervention week, participants wore an ActivPAL and were invited to participate in a follow-up interview. Twenty-seven office-based workers reduced occupational sitting time by an average of 45.2 ± 60.7 min per workday. Self-efficacy increased post intervention (pre: 69 ± 21%; post: 82 ± 16%). The follow-up interviews indicated that the intervention increased awareness of occupational sedentary behaviour and provided insight into the key behaviour change strategies utilised in the intervention

Six-month follow-up of a theory-informed, multi-component intervention to reduce sedentary behaviour in the workplace

There is limited evidence exploring the long-term effectiveness of sedentary behaviour interventions. This study aimed to explore participant experiences six months post-intervention to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of a low-cost, theory-informed, multi-component, individually tailored, six-week intervention for the reduction of occupational sedentary behaviour. Twenty-five participants who completed a sedentary behaviour intervention participated in a six-month follow-up. Participants wore an activity monitoring device and participated in a semi-structured interview. Interview transcripts were thematically analysed. The pre- and post-intervention quantitative data were analysed via paired samples t-tests. Occupational sitting time was reduced by an average of 40.6 ± 76.1 min/work day at six months as compared to pre-intervention. Twenty-three participants indicated that they had continued with their occupational sedentary behaviour change with various stages of change identified. Self-efficacy towards goal achievement remained high at the six-month follow-up. The most prominent goal identified by the participants to reduce occupational sedentary behaviour was walking. Barriers included attending seated meetings, perceived workloads or work tasks and work environments. Suggested strategies to overcome barriers included changing the work environment, providing prompts and receiving support from management. The current study provides insight into the long-term adherence to an occupational sedentary behaviour intervention