Can Interior Designers increase physical activity in a workplace setting by using motivational signs

Blake, H. Suggs, L. Purpose: This study seeks to examine motivational signs in interior layout elements and non-intervention in elevator use in workplace. Then, results for signage intervention and non-intervention of interior design layout elements will be analyzed to determine the effectiveness of motivational signs in interior layout design. Do interior designers need to use motivational signs like health tips, maps, story boards, phrases, foot print use, riddles and precaution measures to promote physical activity through interior layout elements like stairs, corridors and ramps at work places?. Yu S, Yarnell JW, Sweetnam PM, Murray L, and Caerphilly conducted a study on the time needed each day for a physical activity. They found that only seven minutes of physical activity each day can be associated with 62. decline of coronary heart diseases in USA.

This means seven minutes of exercise, walking and climbing each day can reduce 62. of coronary related deaths each year. Based on the above mixed reactions and concerns, the study seeks to examine, evaluate and analyze the impact of motivational signage by interior designers on increase in physical activity at a work place setting (organizational office). There is need to test the effectiveness of posters, maps, foot prints, riddles and story boards along the interior design elements in promoting physical activity at a work place setting. Literature Review According to the Center for Active Design 86% of adults will be obese by the year 2030 (Impact Report, 2016). An even more dire prediction is that American children are expected to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents (Impact Report, 2016). If current behavior patterns remain the same, these forecasts will become a devastating reality.

cdc. gov/healthyweight/effects/index. html). According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average college-educated citizen over age 25 works 8 hours daily, 5 times per week at a physical work location (not work from home). This means that a large portion of our daily lives are spent at our places of employment. Duncan’s findings attribute ‘spatial configuration’ of the office as the main incentive that drives ‘short walking activities or fleeting activities’ instead of prolonged instances of walking in the office (Duncan et al. This study shows that offices where employees need to communicate and/or collaborate with co-workers tend to have open-plan configurations to facilitate teamwork and encourage movement in the office. For the private-enclosed offices the authors found no relationship amongst connectivity and occurrence of active breaks. Duncan et al.

According to the authors, multiple factors impact sedentary behavior. Participants reported they either forgot about it or could not use it because the room was in use for other office activities. It was decided that placing the treadmill desk in a more central location in the office may improve office workers frequency of use. Another unfortunate finding showed that daily transitions of the sit-to-stand desk declined as the study progressed (Crandall et al. To understand why active design elements may not be utilized fully by employees, we must look at employee views regarding health behaviors. Research by Sarkar, S. For employees to utilize the benefits provided by an active design work environment, they must first understand why it is important to do so. We could deduct that for Active Design to work effectively, more time and efforts should be spent of health education in our workplaces.

One promising way to educate employees on the benefits of using active design features is through the use of point of decisions prompts. In 2008, the New York City Department of Health began a stair prompt sign campaign in which motivational sighs were placed at the base of stairs throughout the city. Sign example: “Burn Calories, Not Electricity-Take the Stairs!”. Their study involved 34 participants from four different locations who moved into one new active design building. The building had several interior design elements including corridors, stairs, elevators, gyms, ramps and lobbies that connect to the functional area in the building. Bicycle space was also another key component in the new active design building that could promote exercise and more parking equipment that could increase physical activity. The stairs and the ramps were designed to connect most accessible functional areas and the corridors could facilitate movement by walking.

Findings show that after the move, participants reported less sitting time during the work day along with less low back pain. Tye, M. Jancey, J. Blackford, K. looked at ways that architecture and the promotion of healthy behaviors can work together to reduce sedentary behaviors. Mcgann, et al. The most popular destinations to design these interior layout elements within the office were found to be the kitchen, meeting rooms, and library (Mcgann et al. Getting out of the office was also identified as motivator to move, especially at lunch time (Mcgann et al. Another contributing factor in motivators to move was clothing choices; more men were observed taking the stairs while women in heels choose to take the elevator (Mcgann et al. Based on these findings, Mcgann et al. recommended the need for architects and designers to design and space plan in conjunction with the daily practice of the workers.

Several images, maps, story boards and phrases were used along stairs, corridors and ramps to gather data on the effect of signage on physical activity. Downstairs layout (left), Biking in the office (right) https://centerforactivedesign. org/genslernewportbeach Gensler Newport Beach. n. d. org/bayterrace Bay Terrace Community. n. d. Retrieved February 17, 2018, from https://centerforactivedesign. org/bayterrace Hunters Point Campus 145,000 SF 1. Images of Hunter Point Campus show stairs (left) with natural light, outdoor views and room for two-way traffic. Hallways (center, left) with natural light and bright colors. org/hunterspointcampus Natural daylight and outdoor views are also in the shared spaces, like the cafeteria and library; this helps with improved mental health of the students. The top floors feature an outdoor terrace for social activity and light recreation. Active areas such as the Gymnasium and workout room have multiple entrances to make them readily accessible.

Sign example: “Burn Calories, Not Electricity-Take the Stairs!”. The signs have shown to increase stair use by a median of 50%. They are available at no cost and can be ordered through the NY Health Department. To date, over 30,000 signs have been dispensed. The Active Design Guidelines created by the AIA and city of NY give architect and designers specific design elements to create an Active Design space. Research by Mcgann, et al. identified spatial (i. e. personal storage, washroom location, social spaces), managerial (i. e. Therefore, the sample sizes could be biased with people who are already living somewhat active lifestyles vs. those who are not. Future Active Design Research should focus on fixing the gaps shown in current literature on the subject. From the studies examined in this review of literature, the following improvements can be made.

Future research focused on socio-cultural factors affecting movement behaviors is needed. Wing, A. L. Hsieh, C. References Paffenbarger, R. S. Schafer, M. A. Lyons, T. S. Static and Active Workstations for Improving Workplace Physical Activity and Sitting Time. Sarkar, S. Taylor, W. C. Lai, D. Shegog, R. Stationary in the office: emerging themes for active buildings.  Architectural Science Review,57(4), 260-270. doi:10. Engelen, L. Dhillon, H. Short, C. Rashid, M. Cutumisu, N. Vandelanotte, C. Plotnikoff, R. Physical Activity, All-Cause Mortality, and Longevity of College Alumni.  New England Journal of Medicine,314(10), 605-613. doi:10. nejm198603063141003 Malik, S. H. n. d. Retrieved February 17, 2018, from https://centerforactivedesign. org/stairprompt Bay Terrace Community. n. nyc. gov/site/planning/plans/active-design-guidelines/active-design-guidelines. page Bureau of Labor Statistics. n. d. org/impactreport Media and Content Resources for Standing More. n.

d. Retrieved April 10, 2018, from http://www. juststand. com/story/news/nation/2014/01/21/sitting-disease-heart-failure/4661431/.