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Remote workers tend to be less physically active, spend more time in sedentary activities, and face higher health risks than commuters. The researchers at University of Tsukuba examined the influence of a multicomponent program designed to promote physical activity among remote workers. Although the results of the intervention and control groups did not differ significantly, a notable increase in physical activity suggested the potential effectiveness of the program.

Tsukuba, Japan—The shift to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected the physical activity levels of office and desk workers. Previous studies have shown that remote workers are generally less active and more sedentary than office workers, which increases their health risks. However, researchers noted that few countermeasures exist for promoting physical activity among remote workers.

To address this issue, the University of Tsukuba's research team conducted a pilot open-label randomized controlled trial with 52 remote workers and equally divided them into intervention and control groups using a completely randomized design. The intervention group received an 8-week multicomponent physical activity promotion program delivered remotely. This program included the following items:
-Individual strategies: Lectures, printed materials, goal setting, feedback, and posters.
-Sociocultural strategies: Team-building activities and fostering a supportive environment.
-Organizational strategies: Encouraging messages from executives.
The control group received minimal intervention consisting solely of posters.

The researchers analyzed the data and found no significant difference in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity between the intervention and control groups over 8 weeks. However, notable increases in various physical activity domains were observed within the intervention group, as outlined below:
-Light physical activity notably increased by 14 min/day from baseline.
-Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity during the working day increased significantly by 9.4 min/day from baseline.
-The number of steps increased considerably by 984 steps per working day.
The number of steps in the control group, which only received posters, also considerably increased by 895 steps per working day.

These results suggest the feasibility of a multicomponent physical activity promotion program for remote workers. The findings of this study can guide the creation of action plans to encourage physical activity among remote workers in Japan.

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This study was supported in part by JST SPRING (JPMJSP2124), Health and Labour Sciences Research Grant (22JA1005), JSPS KAKENHI (23H03161), and the Advanced Research Initiative for Human High Performance (ARIHHP), University of Tsukuba.

Original Paper

Title of original paper:

Effectiveness of a multi-component intervention to promote physical activity among Japanese remote workers: a pilot open-label randomized controlled trial

Journal:

Journal of Occupational Health

DOI:

10.1093/joccuh/uiae052

Correspondence

Professor NAKATA Yoshio
Institute of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba

MORIMOTO Masahiro
Chief Consultant of the Planning Sec., Risk Consulting Division, MS&AD InterRisk Research & Consulting, Inc.

Related Link

Institute of Health and Sport Sciences