Lifetime Health and Physical Activity

The Exertime project was designed by UTAS researchers to reintroduce movement back into the workday by regularly interrupting the time spent sitting to perform work responsibilities.

Exertime is a workplace e-health programme that provides hourly prompts with suggestions for low-impact, short-duration movements that are suitable for the office climate.

To learn more about how UTAS researchers use Exertime to investigate sedentary behaviour in the workplace visit the Active Work Laboratory web page (Lab Projects > Exertime), visit the Exertime website, or contact the project team:

Dr Scott Pedersen Dr Casey Mainsbridge

In an effort to encourage a healthy work environment many businesses are offering their employees standing desks, treadmill desks, or even bike desks. These "hot desks", as they have become known, have been suggested to improve employee health, but their effect on work productivity is still a mystery.

The Hot Desk project aims to investigate the effect of working while in a movement-biased posture as opposed to a sedentary, seated position on physiological and cognitive functions associated with workplace efficiency and productivity.

To learn more about this project being conducted in the Active Work Laboratory visit the webpage, or contact the project team:

Dr Scott Pedersen

In an attempt to combat sedentary behaviour in children video game manufacturers have designed "exergames" to provide users a similar experience to the real sport skill. Gaming consoles like the Nintendo Wii provide children with a motivating and fun gaming experience that resembles sport participation within the comforts of their home.

Despite the documented evidence that these exergames require increased energy expenditure compared to typical sedentary video games, UTAS researchers have taken an interest to study if there is positive transfer from this virtual environment to real life motor and cognitive skill development.

If you are interested in this line of research inquiry visit the Active Work Laboratory webpage, or contact the project team:

Dr Scott Pedersen Dr Vaughan Cruickshank