Physical activity in the workplace

A Medical Research Council grant supports a project to examine the acceptability and feasibility of increasing standing and reducing sitting in offices. Macmillan Cancer Support has funded a PhD to examine the effect of sit-stand desks on sitting, standing and physical activity for those working in offices (supported by Public Health England).

A Medical Research Council funded project employs a multidisciplinary, staged, mixed-methods approach to assess how workers may respond to interventions promoting standing in normally-seated workplace practices. The research assesses responses to standing in opportune settings, investigates the potential for standing to affect productivity, and informs and tests acceptability of a habit-based behaviour change intervention promoting standing at work. The work is being completed in collaboration with colleagues at King’s College London, Anglia Ruskin University and the University of Chester.

Macmillan Cancer Support and Public Health England are supporting a PhD study (Jennifer Hall) examining the effect of sit-stand desks on sitting, standing and physical activity in the workplace. The study uses mixed methods to consider the outcomes and processes associated with providing sit-stand desks to office workers.

Impact statement

Our work on sitting, standing and physical activity in the workplace focuses on understanding and developing effective worksite physical activity programmes to be developed, implemented and adhered to in the long-term. We focus on examining the diversity of desk-based occupations in office environments, with workers from across the socioeconomic spectrum and capture the complex organisational structures that impact on physical activity and inactivity in the workplace.

Meet the Principal Investigator(s) for the project

Professor Louise Mansfield - Career History Louise Mansfield is Professor of Sport, Health and Social Sciences and Research Lead for Welfare, Health and Wellbeing in the Institute of Environment, Health and Societies.  Her research focuses on the relationship between sport, physical activity and public health and wellbeing. She is interested in partnership and community approaches in sport and physical activity and issues of health, wellbeing, inequality and diversity. She has led research projects for the Department of Health, Youth Sport Trust, sportscotland, Economic and Social Research Council, Medical Research Council, Macmillan Cancer Support, Public Health England and Sport England. She sits on the editorial boards for Leisure Studies, Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health and the International Review for the Sociology of Sport and is Managing Editor of Annals of Leisure Research. Louise is known for  is known for developing evidence to inform policy and practice.

Project last modified 21/11/2023