Activity-promoting workplaces have the potential to increase physical activity and reduce sitting time for office-based workers. However, there are some gaps in the current research regarding how workplace design influences behavior. Researchers have pinpointed three important gaps in the literature: the influence of workplace culture, the impact of the overall building layout on workers’ behaviors, and the necessity for accurate behavioral measures. Addressing these gaps is crucial for future research and for developing interventions that encourage active and healthy workplaces.office-based workers face various health risks and economic constraints. However, simply implementing health promotion interventions is not enough to reduce sedentary time and increase physical activity. It is also important to consider the design of workplaces in order to encourage interactive behavior among workers.
According to models like the socio-ecological model, there are multiple factors that influence the active and sedentary behaviors of workers. These models emphasize the significant impact of workplace environments on shaping these behaviors. Numerous studies have demonstrated that physical environmental factorsPhysical activity both within and outside of the workplace can help to promote healthier habits among employees. However, there are still some unanswered questions in the current research that need to be explored further.
A team of researchers from the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) recently found three key gaps in our understanding of how workplace design impacts the sedentary and active behaviors of workers. The study was led by Associate Professor Mohammad Javad Koohsari from JAIST, who also works as a researcher at Waseda University and is an honorary associate fellow at Deakin University in Australia. Associate Professor Andrew T. Kaczynski also contributed to the research.The study, which was published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, involved a team of researchers including Professor Akitomo Yasunaga from Bunka Gakuen University, Associate Professor Tomoya Hanibuchi from Kyoto University, Professor Tomoki Nakaya from Tohoku University, Professor Gavin R. McCormack from the University of Calgary, and Professor Koichiro Oka from Waseda University. They were joined by Dr. Koohsari and his team in delving deeper into existing literature to highlight the importance of investigating these gaps and to suggest future research directions. Dr. Koohsari emphasized the focus on interactive effects.impact sedentary behaviors, as remote work becomes more prevalent. Therefore, it is important to accurately measure the influence of workplace norms, culture, and spatial layout on workers’ behaviors in various work settings to inform effective interventions.
Exploring the complete impact of workplace design on workers’ behaviors involves accurately measuring active and sitting behaviors and identifying common locations for these behaviors. While GPS and accelerometers are often used for this purpose, they are less accurate indoors. An indoor positioning system (IPS) using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth can accurately locate people within indoor environments. When integrated with activity-tracking wearable devices, IPS can track workers’ movements, activity intensity, and other biometric data.
Data can also be gathered. Furthermore, using IPS and geospatial AI (GeoAI) together to examine geospatial data can accurately pinpoint individuals within workplaces and assess the patterns of employees’ movement. Previous research has looked into the influence of isolated design elements on movement and behaviors. However, the overall layout of a building, which includes the spatial arrangement of features such as walls, doors, windows, and access routes, largely determines the functionality of interior spaces. Yet, it is still not clear which workplace layouts encourage active behaviors among workers. Space syntax theory – a way of quantifying spatial layouts using graphs – has been used to study this issue.ph-based estimators – could help to fill this information gap. Dr. Koohsari emphasizes that by taking into account the spatial arrangement of an entire building, rather than just the individual design elements, space syntax can be used to analyze how factors such as the placement of common areas and the layout of workstations affect the movements and behaviors of workers.
With digitalization and automation taking over the modern world, it is expected that sedentary behaviors among office-based workers will increase. Dr. Koohsari suggests that future studies should investigate the combined effects of workplace norms and culture on behavior and examine cross-cultural differences.Cultural studies can be utilized to explore both similarities and differences. Innovative measurement techniques can accurately track behaviors and their locations in the workplace. Examining the impact of spatial layout and using space syntax can provide useful information for designing work environments that promote active behaviors among workers. In summary, these findings emphasize the importance of addressing existing knowledge gaps to develop interventions and create healthy, productive workspaces that ultimately improve worker well-being.rs.Â
