Chandrasekaran Baskaran, Arumugam Ashokan, Pesola Arto J, Kundapur Poornima Panduranga, Rao Chythra R
Department of Exercise and Sports Sciences, Manipal College of Health Professions, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, 576104, India.
Department of Physiotherapy, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, P.O. Box: 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
BMC Public Health. 2025 May 16;25(1):1806. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-23049-9.
Excessive sedentary time (ST) is linked to an increased risk of cardiometabolic diseases. Although various behavioral interventions have emerged to reduce ST, the potential of smartphone (SmPh)-based interventions remains relatively unexplored in workplace settings. This study aimed to explore the development, implementation and acceptability of a SmPh application among Indian desk-based office workers.
One hundred thirty-six office workers were randomised to one of three interventions for six months: (1) SmPh-based ST and physical activity (PA) reminders (SMART); (2) traditional education (TRADE) and (3) usual work group (CONT). A threshold of 70% adherence (equivalent to responding to at least 580 out of 828 assigned prompts) was used to classify participants as 'compliant'. Of 44 SMART group participants who were assigned to 24 weeks of intervention, nine participants were purposefully selected based on compliance, Moreover, they were interviewed for potential barriers associated with the SmPh application using semi-deductive approach.
The SMART STEP application was developed over eight months, during which three versions were created and pilot tested. The cost of application development was reasonable (≈ $1,860). Of 44 participants who received SmPh application-based reminders, 37 completed the two follow-ups at 3rd and 6th month. Mean prompt engagement rates, defined as 'the percentage of prompts participants actively responded to', during the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th months were 77% (n = 107), 59% (n = 82), 54% (n = 74), 45% (n = 63), 43% (n = 59), and 31% (n = 43), respectively. Barriers such as workload, lack of movement sensing, and insufficient organizational and peer support were key factors contributing to the decline in long-term engagement among office workers.
The SMART-STEP application appears to be an affordable and promising solution for reducing ST and promoting PA among office workers in low-resource settings. However, enhancements such as embedding movement sensing technology, organizational policies and peer education are needed to improve long-term usability and acceptability.
Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI/2020/03/024138) registered on 20/03/2020.
久坐时间过长与心血管代谢疾病风险增加有关。尽管已出现各种行为干预措施来减少久坐时间，但在工作场所环境中，基于智能手机的干预措施的潜力仍相对未被探索。本研究旨在探讨一款智能手机应用程序在印度伏案工作的上班族中的开发、实施及可接受性。
136名上班族被随机分为三组，接受为期六个月的干预措施之一：（1）基于智能手机的久坐时间和身体活动提醒（SMART）；（2）传统教育（TRADE）；（3）常规工作组（CONT）。采用70%的依从阈值（相当于对828条指定提示中的至少580条做出回应）将参与者分类为“依从者”。在被分配接受24周干预的44名SMART组参与者中，基于依从性有目的地选择了9名参与者。此外，使用半演绎法对他们进行访谈，了解与智能手机应用程序相关的潜在障碍。
SMART STEP应用程序的开发历时八个月，在此期间创建并进行了三个版本的试点测试。应用程序开发成本合理（约1860美元）。在44名接受基于智能手机应用程序提醒的参与者中，37人完成了第3个月和第6个月的两次随访。在第1、2、3、4、5和6个月期间，平均提示参与率（定义为“参与者积极回应的提示百分比”）分别为77%（n = 107）、59%（n = 82）、54%（n = 74）、45%（n = 63）、43%（n = 59）和31%（n = 43）。工作量、缺乏运动感应以及组织和同伴支持不足等障碍是导致上班族长期参与度下降的关键因素。
SMART-STEP应用程序似乎是一种经济实惠且有前景的解决方案，可用于在资源匮乏环境中减少上班族的久坐时间并促进身体活动。然而，需要进行诸如嵌入运动感应技术、制定组织政策和开展同伴教育等改进，以提高长期可用性和可接受性。
于2020年3月20日在印度临床试验注册中心（CTRI/2020/03/024138）注册。
