Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences

Identifying optimal sit-stand recommendations for office workers with low back pain

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Office workers spend most of their working day sitting, and there is increasing evidence that sedentary behaviour at work is associated with negative health impacts, including low back pain (LBP).

Reducing sitting duration and bouts of prolonged sitting (≥ 30 min) may help to reduce LBP. However, the optimal ‘sit-stand ratio’ to ease LBP is currently unknown.

This study will identify sit-stand recommendations for office workers with low back pain.

Eligibility:

You can participate in this study if you:

  • have low back pain
  • are a predominantly desk-based worker who uses a sit-stand desk or workstation
  • work at least 0.5 FTE
  • are not pregnant
  • do not have a medical condition that limits your ability to stand

What the study involves:

 If you decide to participate in this study, you will be asked to:

  • Use your sit-stand desk or workstation as prescribed by the research team for 3 months (excluding time when you are on leave).
  • Provide information on your LBP each day for 7 days before starting the study (baseline), during the study (at week 2) and after the end of the study (at 3 months) via an app or diary.
  • Provide information about yourself (e.g., age, education, job category), your LBP, and your work environment before starting the study (baseline) and at end of the study (3 months) in an online survey. The survey will take about 25-30 minutes to complete.
  • Meet with a health professional to check your workstation set-up and discuss the time to sit and stand for the study period.  

To thank you for participating in this study you will be given a $40 gift card on completion.

Check your eligibility at this link:

https://uniofqueensland.syd1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eVcmTNvYEDoSSGi

If you have any questions about the study, please contact Dr Charlotte Brakenridge via email: c.brakenridge@uq.edu.au.

This study has been approved by The University of Queensland Human Research Ethics Committee [Approval No. 2019001270]