environmental-health-2016_scientifictracks-abstracts

12 / 33

Page 35
Notes:
conferenceseries.com
October 24-25, 2016 | Valencia, Spain
International Conference on
Environmental Health & Safety
Volume 4, Issue 5 (Suppl) Occup Med Health
ISSN:2329-6879 OMHA, an open access journal Environmental Health 2016
October 24-25, 2016
STAND UPTOWORK: IMPROVING HEALTH THROUGH THE WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT
Elizabeth Garlanda, John Doucettea, Abbie Claflinb, Krishna Baumeta and Mary Foleya
aIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, USA
bCenter for Active Design, USA
The American workforce has become sedentary; a behavior associated with poor health outcomes; chronic diseases, premature
mortality, fatigue, and obesity. Changing the built environment is a strategy that can provide opportunities to promote physical,
mental health and overall wellbeing. Ergonomic changes in an office environment can address excessive sitting; factors influencing
mental health include indoor environmental conditions, the social climate of the workplace, and job stressors. Studies have shown
that the improvement of these factors can promote healthy behaviors, mood states, and job satisfaction. Implementing adjustable
workstations (AWS) allow workers to sit or stand, with studies demonstrating notable reductions in sitting times, improvements in
comfort, energy, happiness, and focus. This study documents workplace behavior, physical and mental wellbeing of workers, after the
introduction of an AWS, compared to those with a traditional desk (TD) in an office environment.
This presentation describes a RCT of adjustable workstations (AWS). Subjects with AWS and traditional desks (TD) were
surveyed electronically with two validated health and work questionnaires, before AWS installation, three and six months later. They
reported current activity via polling for one week, at each time point. Nonparametric Wilcoxon tests were performed. Spearman’s
rank correlation was used to analyze mental health variables.
Participants included 30 with AWS and 37 with TD, median age 30-39 years and 60% male. Participants who received AWS
reported (through polling) significantly less sitting three months after (17% reduction in sitting; p=0.02) and six months after (15%
reduction; p=0.006) AWS installation. Participants with AWS reported a reduction in upper back pain at both time points (p=0.008
and p=0.01, respectively), compared with participants with TD. After six months, 96% of participants who received AWS reported the
new workstations were convenient to use; 63% reported increased productivity; and 61% indicated that the AWS positively impacted
their health outside of the workplace. Among employees <30 years old, less sitting time was associated with improved coworker
communication (r=.80; p=.104) and efficiency (r=0.740; p=.152). Participants with AWS also reported better concentration and,
overall, would recommend AWS for their worksite.
This study demonstrates advantages of an AWS versus a traditional desk. Due to the fact that physical activity and work
environment have been shown to improve mood states and physiological health, an exploration of howAWS usage can affect sustained
workplace environment satisfaction is a topic for further exploration.
Biography
Elizabeth Garland graduated from Albany Medical College of Union University as Medical Doctor, and a Masters Degree in Public Health and Nutrition from
Columbia University. She trained at Icahn School of Medicine in New York City in both Pediatrics and General Preventive Medicine. She is currently an Associate
Professor in the Departments of Preventive Medicine and Pediatrics. She is the Director of the Division of General Preventive Medicine and Community Health
and also the Director of the General Preventive Medicine Residency. She is the Health Promotion Disease Prevention Track Leader in the Mount Sinai Graduate
Program in Public Health.
Elizabeth Garland et al., Occup Med Health Aff 2016, 4:5 (Suppl)