An office-place stepping device to promote work-place physical activity

David A McAlpine ¹, Chinmay U Manohar ¹, Shelly K Mc Crady ¹, Donald Hensrud ¹ and James A Levine ^1*

¹ Mayo Clinic, United States

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: levine.james{at}mayo.edu.

Accepted 19 April 2007

Abstract

Objective: Our hypothesis was that an office-place stepping device is associated with significant and substantial increases in energy expenditure compared to sitting energy expenditure. Our objective was to assess the effect of using an office-place stepping device on the energy expenditure of lean and obese office workers.

Methods: The office-place stepping device is an inexpensive, near-silent, low-impact device that can be housed under a standard desk and plugged into an office PC for self-monitoring. Energy expenditure was measured in lean and obese subjects using the stepping device and during rest, sitting and walking. Nineteen subjects (27 + 9 years, 85 + 23 kg); 9 lean (BMI <25 kg/m2) and 10 obese (BMI >29 kg/m2) attended the Experimental Office Facility. Energy expenditure was measured at rest, seated in an office chair, standing, walking on a treadmill and whilst using the office-place stepping device.

Results: The office-place stepping device was associated with an increase in energy expenditure above sitting in an office chair by, 289 + 102 kcal/hour (P<0.001). The increase in energy expenditure was greater for the obese (335 + 99 kcal/hour) compared to the lean subjects (235 + 80 kcal/hour; P=0.03). The increments in energy expenditure were similar to exercise-style walking.

Conclusion: The office-place stepping device could be an approach for office workers to increase their energy expenditure. If the stepping device was used to replace sitting by two-hours per day and if other components of energy balance were constant, weight loss of 20 kg/year could occur.

Key Words: energy expenditure, non-exercise activity thermogenesis, office, physical activity, weight loss

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Carnethon, M., Whitsel, L. P., Franklin, B. A., Kris-Etherton, P., Milani, R., Pratt, C. A., Wagner, G. R., on behalf of the American Heart Association Advoca, (2009). Worksite Wellness Programs for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention: A Policy Statement From the American Heart Association. Circulation 120: 1725-1741 [Full Text]