Standing up for productivity: A pilot study of short workplace activity breaks and self-perceived work ability among administrative workers

Abstract

Background Office-based work has increased occupational sitting time, a behavior associated with lower work ability and poorer well-being. Brief active breaks may help mitigate these effects, but evidence from real-world workplace interventions remains limited. Objective To evaluate the feasibility and effects of a multicomponent Occupational Active Breaks (OAB) program on self-perceived work ability (WA) among administrative workers. Methods A five-week, single-arm pre-post pilot study included 70 administrative employees aged 18–59 years. The intervention combined an awareness lecture, individualized mentoring, and an app delivering reminders, guided videos, and gamified feedback. Participants were encouraged to perform four 3–5-min active breaks per workday. WA, OAB frequency, and weekly physical activity were assessed pre- and post-intervention. Paired changes were analyzed with the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and associations with Pearson's χ 2 test. Results Self-reported daily adherence rose from 0% to 94%. Mean WA increased from 7.04 ± 1.16 to 8.10 ± 1.01. Good/high WA ratings increased from 73% to 94% and poor/moderate ratings declined from 27% to 6% (p ≤ 0.001). App records showed approximately 2.2 breaks/day per participant, below the four-break target. Weekly physical activity frequency increased from 2.24 to 3.54 sessions/week (p ≤ 0.001). Effect sizes were large for WA (r = 0.69) and moderate-to-large for weekly physical activity frequency (r = 0.53). Conclusions A short, app-supported OAB program was feasible and was associated with improved self-perceived work ability among sedentary administrative workers.