PLoS One. 2014 Feb 20;9(2):e88620. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0088620. eCollection 2014.

Treadmill workstations: the effects of walking while working on physical activity and work performance.

Ben-Ner A1, Hamann DJ2, Koepp G3, Manohar CU1, Levine J3.

Author information

1Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America.

2School of Urban and Public Affairs, University of Texas-Arlington, Arlington, Texas, United States of America.

3Obesity Solutions, Mayo Clinic and Arizona State University, Scottsdale, Arizona, United States of America.

Abstract

We conducted a 12-month-long experiment in a financial services company to study how the availability of treadmill workstations affects employees’ physical activity and work performance. We enlisted sedentary volunteers, half of whom received treadmill workstations during the first two months of the study and the rest in the seventh month of the study. Participants could operate the treadmills at speeds of 0-2 mph and could use a standard chair-desk arrangement at will. (a) Weekly online performance surveys were administered to participants and their supervisors, as well as to all other sedentary employees and their supervisors. Using within-person statistical analyses, we find that overall work performance, quality and quantity of performance, and interactions with coworkers improved as a result of adoption of treadmill workstations. (b) Participants were outfitted with accelerometers at the start of the study. We find that daily total physical activity increased as a result of the adoption of treadmill workstations.

Treadmill workstations: the effects of walking while working on physical activity and work performance.Posted on January 3, 2015 by Stone Hearth News

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