STAND UP to SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19): Using Behavioural Economics to Reduce Sedentary Behaviour in At-home Office Workers

Summary

In COVID-19 times, there has been a large increase in number of people working from home; with limited places to go, an abrupt change to people's lives and lack of knowledge about the dangers of sedentary behaviour (SB), it is important to help workers develop and effortlessly incorporate healthy movement routines to optimize daily productivity and health. The combined lack of knowledge on literature on SB profiles of full time, home-based workers, effects of framing of SB reduction strategies, and strategy preference uncertainty makes for a novel study. This will be a 4-week intervention that looks at whether telling a full time, home-based office worker to do pre-selected strategies using different framing structures to break up their sedentary behaviour (SB) (i.e. sitting) will change their SB profiles. Investigators are looking to see whether having the choice (or not) to choose strategies in an unfamiliar health related selection (preference uncertainty) will create greater changes in SBs. As well, the researchers are incorporating behavioural economics' by altering choice structure in relation to behaviour change and program engagement. Workers' work-related SB will be measured by a device at baseline and on the last week of the intervention. Workers will be provided with an SB educational video to increase knowledge and motivation for change. Any SB changes in relation to productivity, mental wellness, behaviour intentions etc. will also be measured.

Conditions

• Health Behaviour Change

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Assigned Strategies: Opt-in

Participants will be assigned two behavioural strategies with the opt-in choice structure

BEHAVIORAL

Assigned Strategies: Active Choice

Participants will be assigned two behavioural strategies with the Active choice structure

BEHAVIORAL

Assigned Strategies: Enhanced Active Choice

Participants will be assigned two behavioural strategies with the Enhanced Active choice structure

BEHAVIORAL

Choice of Assignment: Opt-in

Participants will have the choice to be assigned strategies or to manage their own strategies. The strategies will be assigned using the Opt-in choice structure

BEHAVIORAL

Choice of Assignment: Active Choice

Participants will have the choice to be assigned strategies or to manage their own strategies. The strategies will be assigned using the Active choice structure

BEHAVIORAL

Choice of Assignment: Enhanced Active Choice

Participants will have the choice to be assigned strategies or to manage their own strategies. The strategies will be assigned using the Enhanced Active choice structure

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Duke University

  collaborator OTHER

• Western University, Canada

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Marc Mitchell, PhD · Western University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

FACTORIAL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2020-09-07

Primary Completion

2020-12-16

Completion

2020-12-16

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations