Active meetings on stationary bicycle: An intervention to promote health at work without impairing performance

Cognitive work on a walking desk does not lead to compensatory appetitive responses in healthy young adults

CONTEXT

In addition to the low energy expenditure induced by sedentary behaviors such as sitting, it has been shown that intense cognitive work can lead to an increase in food intake. Walking Desk provide the opportunity for office workers to replace prolonged sitting at work with light intensity physical activity.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the effects of sitting vs standing vs walking during a cognitive task on energy intake, appetite sensations, food reward and overall energy balance.

METHODS

Fifteen normal weight (BMI: 24.1 ± 1.2 kg m-2) young men (23.4 ± 2.1 years) randomly performed three conditions: sitting desk (SitD), standing desk (StD) and walking desk (WD), while performing a 45-min cognitive task. Energy expenditure was measured by indirect calorimetry, regular appetite sensations were assessed using visual analogue scales, energy intake measured during an ad libitum meal and the relative energy intake calculated. Pre and post-test meal food reward was evaluated through the Leeds Food Preference Questionnaire.

RESULTS

Relative energy intake decreased by 150 kcal in WD compared with SitD, however it did not reach statistical significance. There were no differences in appetite sensations nor food reward between the three conditions. Energy expenditure was significantly higher in WD (141.8 ± 13 kcal) than in SitD (78.7 ± 5 8 kcal) and StD (85.9 ± 8 kcal) (p ≤ 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Walking desk use can decrease sedentary time while working without any appetitive compensation. The small reduction in energy balance with walking while working could induce significant health benefits if repeated over time. Future longer studies need to clarify whether active desks can contribute to the prevention or management of weight gain.

Relationship between physical activity and mental health in a national representative cross-section study: Its variations according to obesity and comorbidity

BACKGROUND

Physical activity is positively associated with mental health in obese people with chronic comorbidities. However, how physical activity types (PATs), physical activity frequency (PAF), and physical activity duration (PAD) are associated with mental health need to be further clarified. The current study investigated and compared the effectiveness of PATs, physical activity frequency PAF and PAD for mental health in obese people with various chronic comorbid conditions.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included 871,919 adults who participated in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). They were divided into four groups: healthy people, obese people with 0, 1, and 2+ chronic comorbid conditions. The zero-inflated negative binomial (ZINB) regression model and the generalized additive model were used to explore the association between physical activity and mental health burden in the four groups, respectively.

RESULTS

Jogging (30.00%), hiking (28.36%) and bicycling (28.32%) have greater improvement in mental health of healthy people; jogging (19.25%), golf (19.95%) and bicycling machine exercise (19.13%) showed a greater improvement in mental health of obese people with no chronic comorbid condition; and aerobic exercise videos or class showed a greater improvement in mental health of obese people with one chronic comorbid condition (22.14%) and obese people with two or more chronic comorbid conditions (19.60%). Non-linear relationships were observed between PAF, PAD, and energy expenditure and mental health. The healthy participants who exercised about 10-15 times a month and 40-50 min per session or about 400-600 METs-min per week had greater benefits for mental health. However, the lowest point of the smooth curve moved to the left with an increasing number of chronic comorbid conditions in obese people.

CONCLUSIONS

Almost all PATs were associated with better mental health, but their benefits decreased with increasing number of chronic comorbid conditions in obese people. There were U-shaped relationships between mental health and weekly physical activity frequency, duration, and METs-min.

The Role of Job Control and Job Demands in Becoming Physically Active during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Three-Wave Longitudinal Study

Organizational studies suggest that certain psychosocial working conditions are liable to foster positive health outcomes, such as engaging in leisure-time physical activities. However, the psychosocial factors contributing to this improvement remain unexplored, particularly in the workplace and in the context of the decline observed in the physical activity level of the population worldwide. The objective of the study was to examine whether exposure to different combinations of psychosocial working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic predicts the probability of becoming physically active among Quebec workers. Job demands, job control, and physical activity were assessed three times during the first year of the pandemic via an online questionnaire among physically inactive workers (n = 440). Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the associations between various combinations of psychosocial risks and physical activity. A total of 117 participants became physically active during the study. After controlling for covariates, active jobs increased the odds of becoming physically active, compared to high-strain jobs (OR = 2.57 (95% CI 1.13 to 5.87)). Having a highly demanding job may not negatively impact physical activity if workers have enough job control to achieve the required tasks.