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International Conference on Digital Human Modeling and Applications in Health, Safety, Ergonomics and Risk Management

DHM 2013: Digital Human Modeling and Applications in Health, Safety, Ergonomics, and Risk Management. Human Body Modeling and Ergonomics pp 261–268Cite as

Chair Based Measurements of Sitting Behavior a Field Study of Sitting Postures and Sitting Time in Office Work

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Part of the Lecture Notes in Computer Science book series (LNISA,volume 8026)

Abstract

In order to understand the relation between prolonged sitting and the relation to health outcome, the behavior while being seated must be studied.

A total of 41 office workers participated in a study whilst performing their regular work for eight weeks, whilst sitting on a measuring office chair (Smart Chair). The first two (control) weeks they were not aware of the measuring abilities of the chair. After this, two groups were made to distinguish between the effects of chair instruction and smart feedback on sitting postures (Van der Doelen et al. 2011).

In this paper the data has been analyzed in another way. The aim of this paper is to explore the characteristics of sedentary behavior for 41 subjects during their regular office work over eight weeks by measuring the events of sitting and absence from their office chair.

Results showed that the office workers in this study on average have very long sitting events, that exceed general recommendations. Results showed that the office workers in this study on average have very long sitting events, that exceed general recommendations. Recommendations for 5 minute breaks every hour are met by 85% of the participants. However recommendations on sitting les than 20 minutes were met by 5% of the participants. None of the participants met the recommendations on all of their days during the field study.

The sedentary behavior shown in this study underlines the importance to monitor and influence sedentary behavior while considering the individual sedentary patterns. Further knowledge on analyzing sedentary patterns is needed.

Keywords

  • device-based measures
  • sedentary behavior

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Section Applied Ergonomics and Design, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands

    Matthijs P. Netten, L. H. M. van der Doelen & Richard H. M. Goossens

  2. BMA Ergonomics, Zwolle, The Netherlands

    L. H. M. van der Doelen

  3. Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    Richard H. M. Goossens

Authors
  1. Matthijs P. Netten
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  2. L. H. M. van der Doelen
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  3. Richard H. M. Goossens
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. College of Engineering, Purdue University, 47907-2045, West Lafayette, IN, USA

    Vincent G. Duffy

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© 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Netten, M.P., van der Doelen, L.H.M., Goossens, R.H.M. (2013). Chair Based Measurements of Sitting Behavior a Field Study of Sitting Postures and Sitting Time in Office Work. In: Duffy, V.G. (eds) Digital Human Modeling and Applications in Health, Safety, Ergonomics, and Risk Management. Human Body Modeling and Ergonomics. DHM 2013. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 8026. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-39182-8_31

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-39182-8_31

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-39181-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-39182-8

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