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EFFECTS OF A BRIEF LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION FOR OFFICE WORKERS

Abstract

Cassandra Beattie1, Lucas J. Dudgeon1, Sarah J. Cosgrove1, Katie M. Heinrich1

1Department of Kinesiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS

PURPOSE: Our study assessed the impact of a brief lifestyle intervention (LI) using a novel fitness application on body composition and fitness in office workers. METHODS: Insufficiently active office workers (n = 22) participated in a four-week randomized pilot trial. Individuals were randomized to either information-only control (CON; n = 10, age = 34.3 ± 14.6 years, 63.6% female, 80% white) or intervention (LI; n = 12, age = 37.6 ± 14.8 years, 91.7% female, 100% white) groups. CON was provided access to online physical activity and nutrition information with short assessments. LI was trained in-person on a mobile fitness application, that provided short (~2 minutes) daily workouts, alternating muscle groups each day; daily logging of waist circumference, and a tracking system for “treats” (i.e., high sugar/starch foods). In person measures were conducted pre- and post-intervention. Anthropometric measures included height, weight, body fat percentage, and waist circumference (WC). Fitness was measured via handgrip dynamometry (strength), sit-and-reach (flexibility), and 30-second chair stand test (muscular endurance). Independent-samples t-tests were used to examine group differences on baseline characteristics. Both within-group (paired-samples t-tests) and between-group (ANCOVA with baseline scores as covariate) changes scores were analyzed. RESULTS: No significant baseline differences were found between groups. Significant changes were found for LI on WC (mean Δ = -3.2 ± 4.3 cm; t = 2.57, p < 0.05), chair stand (mean Δ = 4.9 ± 4.8 repetitions; t = 3.52, p < 0.01), and flexibility (mean Δ = 2.9 ± 3.6 cm; t = 2.84, p < 0.05). Significant changes were found for CON for chair stand (mean Δ = 2.9 ± 3.1 repetitions; t = 2.92, p < 0.05). No significant between group differences were found for change scores. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest the novel fitness application could be a viable option to improve body composition and fitness among insufficiently active office workers. Future investigations should aim to validate our pilot study with larger sample sizes and consider additional measures of health and fitness.

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