Standing desks could boost people’s performance at work, a study has found.
The research team, led by Loughborough University and experts from Leicester, assessed 146 mainly sedentary NHS staff.
Of those, 77 were given height-adjustable workstations – also known as sit-stand desks – while the remaining 69 continued with their standard desks.
At the start of the study, overall sitting time was 9.7 hours per day.
Over the course of the experiment, sitting time was lower by 50.62 minutes per day at three months, 64.4 minutes per day at six months, and 82.39 minutes per day at 12 months.
Those who were given sit-stand desks said they were less tired and more engaged. They also reported improvements in musculoskeletal problems, according to the research published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
A questionnaire filled out by the participants also suggested employees who used the sit-stand desks were less anxious and cited an improved quality of life.