It is no surprise that spending hours in front of a computer is not good for you. Studies show sitting at a desk all day increases the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Yet it”™s the most common way office work is completed.
Health-conscious workers have tried outfitting home offices with treadmill workstations to reduce sedentarism. But before business owners jump on board for the entire office, researcher Manuel Cifuentes said they may want to tread carefully.
In a study sponsored by the Center for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace (CPH-NEW), a partnership between the University of Connecticut and the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Cifuentes said participants reported a number of barriers including decreased productivity, poor communication and awkward transitions between walking and sitting.
With employees spending more time at work than ever before, researchers at CPH-NEW primarily research ways to promote workplace health, whether it”™s investigating air quality or ways to encourage healthy eating.
An active lifestyle, which includes an after-work workout, helps keep a person healthy. However the detrimental effects of sedentarism can”™t be reversed by exercise, said Cifuentes, a UMass professor of work environment. The only way to reduce the effects is to sit less, he said.
Advertisements for treadmill workstations include weight loss claims of up to 30 pounds in a year. However, Cifuentes, said the claim depends on the person and how easy it is for them to adapt to the workstation.
“The equipment could just become an expensive dust collector,” Cifuentes said.
In a small study, Cifuentes asked five employees at UMass to work at desks outfitted for either sitting, standing or walking by adjusting the height of the desks. By the end of four months participants said they felt more energized, had higher concentration and were in a better mood. However none felt they had completely overcome the barriers to using the treadmills effectively at the end of six months when the study concluded.
First, it was awkward to transition between sitting and walking, as the position of the computer and other materials needed to be adjusted, they said.
Additionally, it was uncomfortable to communicate with colleagues and clients, they said, because of height differences and sound of the machinery. When using the treadmill during conference calls, the participants usually felt self-conscious and muted their phones. And when speaking to co-workers and supervisors, they felt as though height differences were disrupting an unspoken hierarchy.
“It”™s not comfortable for them,” Cifuentes said. The cost of setup was about $1,300 per person. “It”™s a huge investment and the beneficial effects haven”™t been proven yet. That is a task that will take several years.”
After reviewing the study, CPH-NEW Co-Director Martin Cherniack, said he also believed the treadmills were likely a bad idea for most employees. The participants were unable to concentrate at higher speeds on the treadmill but also felt guilty when not using it.
“It”™s not a clear success for most people,” said Cherniack, who also teaches at the UConn Health Center at Storrs. “The idea gets very attractive but the way people can actually adapt and use things aren”™t always so clear cut. It”™s similar to the question, ”˜should offices be open or closed?”™ It depends on people and situation.”
I’m not sure from the picture which treadmills they were using or even if they were designed specifically for office use: Many setups that are not (designed for office) are clunky, loud, and awkward, which would account for many of the complaints presented here. Once that’s factored in, like with anything else, not everyone is going to take to them, but the numbers would be different, I am sure.