Co-Production at Work: The Process of Breaking Up Sitting Time to Improve Cardiovascular Health. A Pilot Study

Abstract

Prolonged sitting negatively affects several cardiovascular disease biomarkers. Current workplace physical activity interventions to reduce sitting result in inconsistent uptake and adherence rates. Co-production attempts to improve the translation of evidence to practice through engaging the participants within the intervention design, improving the context sensitivity and acceptability of the intervention. A needs analysis questionnaire was initially conducted (n = 157) to scope workplace behaviours and attitudes. A development group (n = 11) was consulted in focus groups around the needs analysis findings and asked to comment on the feasibility of a proposed intervention. A pilot intervention was then carried out (n = 5). The needs analysis indicated that only 1.8% (n = 4) engaged in occupational physical activity, and 68.7% (n = 103) sat for ≥6 h during their working day. Through the focus groups, an intervention breaking up sitting time hourly with five-minute walking breaks was co-produced. Cultural and pragmatic issues concerning the implementation of frequent physical activity breaks from sitting and the subsequent impact on work productivity were highlighted. The pilot intervention increased the number of breaks from sedentary behaviour from 2 to 11. The co-production methodology resulted in a research- and stakeholder-guided compromise. Large-scale intervention implementation is required before firm effectiveness conclusions can be made.