Limited evidence for benefits of interventions to reduce sitting at work

For changes in the physical environment, there was very low quality evidence that the use of sit-stand desks can reduce workplace sitting time by about 30 minutes to 2 hours per day, over short-term follow-up. This is considerably less than the 2 to 4 hours recommended by experts. There was no substantial effect on musculoskeletal symptoms or on work performance. There is no evidence on longer-term effects. Walking strategies had no effect on workplace sitting, while computer-prompting plus information had an inconsistent effect. There were no substantial effects of other interventions such as changing work organisation, active workstations (treadmill or cycle) or information and counselling. For interventions combining multiple approaches, there was an inconsistent effect on sitting time, with a significant reduction at 12 weeks' and 6 months' follow-up but not at 12 months' follow-up.