Contributors : Hitotsubashi University and National University of Singapore

Increasing rates of urbanisation have been accompanied by higher levels of sedentary behaviour (SB) and lower levels of physical activity (PA) worldwide. While physical inactivity has long been identified as a major risk factor for morbidity and mortality, raising concerns about the impact of SB on health has led to the development of many interventions aimed at reducing SB and/or promoting PA. Due to the prominence of sedentary time spent at work, the workplace has been identified as a key setting to implement such interventions.

Despite many systematic reviews conducted on the topic, the diversity of the literature makes it difficult to identify the most effective strategies to date. Building an evidence base of the most effective strategies to reduce SB and/or promote PA at work is critically needed to help reduce the health risks faced by many employees.

Project objective / approach

The objective is to conduct a review of reviews (RoR) to identify, evaluate and synthesise all systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses of workplace interventions aimed at reducing SB and/or promoting PA among adults. This RoR will be valuable to policymakers and employers who are looking for effective strategies to promote health at work. In particular, there is an increasing demand for such strategies from governments and private parties in low and middle-income countries, where predominantly rural economies are rapidly shifting towards more urban ones. This will also allow potential research gaps to be identified, so that the design of future studies can be better informed.