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Does breaking up sitting in office-based settings result in cognitive performance improvements which last throughout the day? A review of the evidence.

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Sedentary behavior at work contributes to detrimental cognitive outcomes (e.g., decreases in attention). The length of time that cognitive performance benefits are sustained following bouts of breaking up sitting (e.g., using sit-stand desks or walking) is not known. A narrative review of the literature was conducted using a systematic search strategy, with keywords related to breaking up sitting interventions in office-based environments and cognitive performance outcomes in the period immediately post the cessation of the breaking up sitting intervention. Three types of office-based breaking up sitting interventions were identified; 1) sit-stand desks, 2) walking desks and 3) cycling desks. From the eight studies which met the criteria, the impacts of these interventions on cognitive performance outcomes were mixed, with significant benefits in some studies and others reporting no benefit. Of the cognitive domains assessed, working memory, attention, and psychomotor function showed significant sustained improvement for up to 30 minutes post intervention. While there are benefits to a key set of cognitive performance domains following breaking up sitting interventions in office-based settings, no studies have evaluated whether benefits to cognitive performance persist for longer than 30 minutes after the breaking up sitting intervention. Furthermore, specific applications of these cognitive benefits to tasks outside of work (e.g., driving home from work) are unknown.

History

Volume

60

Issue

6

Start Page

501

End Page

513

Number of Pages

13

eISSN

1880-8026

ISSN

0019-8366

Publisher

National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health

Publisher License

CC BY-NC-ND

Language

en

Peer Reviewed

  • Yes

Open Access

  • Yes

Acceptance Date

2022-01-12

Author Research Institute

  • Appleton Institute

Era Eligible

  • Yes

Medium

Print-Electronic

Journal

Industrial Health

Article Number

2021-0174