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This study examines how a physical activity promotion program impacts cardiometabolic risk factors and cognitive function in office workers.

March 26, 2026BMC Public Health0 citationsOpen Access

Effect of smartwatch and break-reminder with exercises application on cardiometabolic risk and cognition in office workers: a single group pre-posttest design

SBSira BoonprasopMahidol University WJWattana JalayondejaMahidol University KMKeerin MekhoraMahidol University

Key Points

This study examines how a physical activity promotion program impacts cardiometabolic risk factors and cognitive function in office workers.
Pre-posttest design involving eighty-seven office workers aged 20-59 years.
Participants engaged in a physical activity program using a smartwatch and break-reminder exercise app for six months.
Obesity measurements, lipid profiles, and cognitive function tests were conducted at three intervals: baseline, four months, and six months.
One-way repeated measures ANOVA with Bonferroni correction was applied for data analysis.
Significant improvement in waist-to-height ratio, lipid profiles (HDL-C, LDL-C, and total cholesterol), and cognitive functions such as attention and executive control.
Waist-to-height ratio decreased by −0.007 ± 0.003 from the first to the third assessment.
LDL-C levels fell by −7.34 mg/dL from the second to the third assessment, while HDL-C increased by +2.84 mg/dL at six months compared to baseline.
Daily sitting time reduced by 42.9 minutes as a result of the intervention.

Abstract

Physical inactivity and prolonged sitting at work can increase risk of cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRFs) and cognitive decline. This study aimed to determine the effect of a six-month physical activity (PA) promotion program on CMRFs and cognitive function in office workers. Eighty-seven office workers aged 20–59 years, with ≥ 2 years of work experience and ≥ 4 h/day of sitting, volunteered to participate in this study. The PA promotion program used a smartwatch to encourage moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and walking over a six-month period, combined with a break-reminder exercise application installed on participants’ computers in the last two months period. Obesity measurements, lipid profiles test, and cognitive function tests were assessed at baseline, four and six months. A one-way repeated measures ANOVA with Bonferroni correction was used for analysis. The results demonstrated significant improvements in waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), lipid profiles (HDL-C, LDL-C, and total cholesterol TC), and cognitive function, particularly in attention and executive domains over the six-month period. The mean difference in WHtR between the 3rd vs. 1st assessments was − 0.007 ± 0.003. LDL-C levels showed a significant reduction of − 7.34 mg/dL (95% CI: −12.09 to − 2.58) when comparing the 3rd vs.2nd assessment. In addition, HDL-C levels increased significantly by + 2.84 mg/dL (95% CI: +0.82 to + 4.87) at six months compared with baseline. This preliminary pre-posttest study demonstrated that the use of a smartwatch and a break-reminder exercise application promoted MVPA and walking, reduced sitting time at work (by 42.9 min/day), and improved CMRFs and cognitive function among office workers. However, future studies should focus on implementing smartwatch- and application-based tools to enhance personal engagement and facilitate long-term self-monitoring, while integrating environmental strategies to encourage sustainable behavioral change and promote workplace safety.

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