Abstract Objective We investigated associations between room function, office design, workplace spatial layout, and office workers’ sitting behavior. Methods We analyzed sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit transitions of 48 office workers during one work week (accelerometry), all office locations that those workers visited (end-of-day questionnaire), and physical features of those office locations (coded). Results Office workers sat longer in offices than in meeting rooms; stood longer in large, shared offices; stood longer in offices with two workstations compared to one; stood longer in offices that had additional chairs; and sat longer when waste paper bins were out of arm’s reach. Conclusions Office workers’ sitting patterns are—to some extent—related to workplace design. However, workplace design may impact sitting mainly through the work tasks and/or opportunities for collegial interactions that room designs afford.
Broeke et al. (Mon,) studied this question.