A recently-released workplace study found height-adjustable workstations may help reduce sedentary behavior and support health even outside the workplace. “Stand Up to Work: Assessing the Health Impacts of Adjustable Workstations” compared people who work at height-adjustable desks to those with traditional workstations. Over a 12-month period, the study found that height-adjustable desks are linked to increased productivity, better concentration and improved overall health.
“What makes this study different from any other standing-desk study—which is also what made it worthy of peer review and publication—is the combination of its long duration and its inclusion of complementary qualitative data,” says lead researcher Dr. Elizabeth Garland, associate professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “Most studies conclude after just a few months. Ours lasted a full year. This allowed us to assess both the objective and subjective health impacts of standing-desk usage, from perceived stress and wellbeing to measurable changes in sedentary behavior.”
Garland collaborated with a multidisciplinary team of researchers from the Center for Active Design (CfAD), global architecture and design firm Perkins+Will, and Steelcase to carry out the study. Perkins+Will and Steelcase both serve as advisory board members and are designated Champions of Fitwel, a healthy building certification operated by CfAD. Funded by the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Foundation’s Transform grant, study results are published in the International Journal of Workplace Health Management (IJWHM).
KEY FINDINGS
Reducing Sitting
People who received height-adjustable desks reported a 17 percent reduction in sitting three months into the study, a trend that remained at the one year mark.
Feeling Better
People (47%) with height-adjustable desks reported a significant reduction in upper back, shoulder or neck discomfort.
Easy to Use
People (88%) with height-adjustable desks reported they were convenient to use after 12 months.
Increasing Productivity
People (65%) with height-adjustable desks reported increased productivity after one year and also reported better concentration ability. In addition, they said they were more active, refreshed, awake, limber and energetic
Improvements Outside of Work
People (65%) said height-adjustable workstations positively impacted their health outside of the workplace.
“As the operator of the Fitwel Certification System, we see the continuous demand for research and data to support and drive the implementation of healthy design strategies,” says Abbie Watts, senior researcher at the Center for Active Design, “The ‘Stand Up to Work’ study is an important piece of research that grounds our workplace initiatives and contributes to the larger body of research that supports how we make the connection between health and the design of the built environment.”