Graduation Term

2017

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

School of Kinesiology and Recreation

Committee Chair

Kelly R. Laurson

Abstract

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to determine differences in energy expenditure between sitting and standing conditions in typically sedentary office workers. A secondary purpose of this study was to determine if there are mindset differences with regards to job boredom, job stress, and job satisfaction between conditions. METHODS: Participants (N = 26, 4 males and 22 females) were from two moderately sized communities in the Midwest that had standing desk options available to them. Data was collected using BodyMedia SenseWear armbands for energy expenditure and self-reported Likert-scale surveys for psychological data. Intake data included sex, age, height, weight, smoking habits, and dominant hand. Data was collected during four sessions; two sitting sessions where participants were asked to not use their standing desk option, and two standing sessions where participants were allowed to stand as they desired. Data was analyzed using paired-samples t-tests to determine mean differences between energy expenditure and survey data. RESULTS: Results of the t-test for energy expenditure indicated the standing condition expended an average of 7.25 kcal more per hour than the sitting condition (t (24) -3.352, p = 0.003). No differences were found between average total survey data or specific question survey results (all p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest there is a statistically significant increase in energy expenditure when utilizing a standing desk option at the typical office workstation. Participants expressed improvements in mindset, but this difference was not statistically significant. Overall, individuals that participate in standing throughout the day rather than strictly sitting can increase energy expenditure while at their normal workstation, potentially resulting in increased weight loss and decreased negative health risk factors for typically sedentary office workers.

KEYWORDS: Standing desks, Office workers, Energy expenditure, Sedentary, Job satisfaction, Job stress, Job boredom

Access Type

Thesis-Open Access

DOI

http://doi.org/10.30707/ETD2017.Dohm.H

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