Haan, E.H. de (Eise) (2017) Evaluating ‘The End of Sitting’: A comparison between younger and older office workers in the usage and experience of working in an alternative working environment. thesis, Human Movement Sciences.
Full text available on request.Abstract
Objectives. As the amount of office workers increases due to technological advances, sedentariness is becoming a common lifestyle. Taking cognizance of the detrimental health consequences that are associated with sedentariness, RAAAF and visual artist Barbara Visser designed The End of Sitting as a way to counter sedentary behavior. This alternative office absent of chairs and tables consists of several sloped surfaces that afford working in non-sitting postures. As it is currently unknown how the age of office workers influences the usage and experience of working in The End of Sitting, the present study focused on investigating potential differences after a period of familiarization. Methods. Fourteen office workers had to work in The End of Sitting for a period of 10 weeks, one hour per week. Participants younger than 50 years were classified as younger office workers and participants 50 years or older were classified as older office workers. Participants’ posture changes, chosen locations within The End of Sitting, and work activities were monitored. Additionally, participants’ experiences (e.g. concentration, well-being, comfort) with working in The End of Sitting and in a conventional office were measured using several questionnaires. Results. No significant differences between the younger and older office worker group were found in the number of transitions and different locations, total time spent in locations of The End of Sitting, and time spent performing work activities (ps > .05). Furthermore, when working in The End of Sitting, no significant differences were found between the groups in terms of work experience, comfort and discomfort relative to a conventional office (ps > .05). Further analysis revealed that at the start of the study the older office workers reported lower levels of pleasantness than younger office workers from working in The End of Sitting compared to a conventional office (p < .05), but apparently this dissipated over time. Despite the lack of significant differences, several medium to large effect sizes were found for time spent in location 7 and 8, reported pleasantness, the ability to work in comfortable postures, well-being, design, and comfort (ps > .05, r > .3). Conclusion. The End of Sitting was deemed to be a good solution to counter sedentary behavior for office workers of all ages, as older office workers used this alternative office similar to younger office workers. Additionally, none of the participants experienced clear negative effects, despite potential age-related decreases in physical work capacity. However, large individual differences existed, indicating that for some people working in this officescape might not be suitable.
| Item Type: | Thesis (UNSPECIFIED) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Caljouw, dr. S.R. |
| Faculty: | Medical Sciences |
| Date Deposited: | 06 May 2022 10:46 |
| Last Modified: | 06 May 2022 10:46 |
| URI: | https://umcg.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/3234 |
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