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PCPs promoting workplace exercise devices could help meet national standards

There are several diverse groups of patients who may have an interest in using exercise devices at work, and primary care physicians’ promotion of these devices could help meet national standards for comprehensive care, according to data published in the Journal of Primary Care and Community Health.

“Workplace energy expenditure devices (WEEDs), such as bicycle desks or treadmill desks, have been shown to increase energy expenditure, reduce overweight/obesity and improve blood glucose and lipid profiles,” Liza S. Rovniak, PhD, MPH, of the Penn State College of Medicine, in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and colleagues wrote. “… Primary care settings represent a viable context for reaching diverse populations to promote physical activity interventions such as WEEDs.”

The researchers noted that promotion of WEEDs may help physicians meet Patient-Centered Medical Home standards from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), and satisfy requirements under the Affordable Care Act for nonprofit academic health centers to promote community health to maintain tax-exempt status.

To determine the potential interest in using WEEDs, and its demographic and health-related predictors, among primary care patients, the researchers analyzed the answers to a cross-sectional survey from 240 participants aged 18 to 65 years. Participants had been recruited at two general internal medicine outpatient clinics at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center in April 2014.

Patients answered questions regarding their interest in using a “small pedaling device under the desk,” and “walking on a treadmill with a desk attached,” if such options were provided at no cost. The researchers used multiple logistic regression models to examine the associations between demographic and health risk factors with interest in WEEDs.

According to the researchers, of the 240 respondents, 44.2% reported they were interested in using WEEDs. Of the 106 who were interested, 91.5% reported interest in the bicycle desk, while 65.1% were keen on the treadmill desk (P < .001). Women were more likely than men to show interest in using a bicycle desk. Participants aged 18 to 44 years were more likely than those aged 45 to 65 years to be interested in a treadmill desk.

“Overall, patients with diverse clinical characteristics expressed modest-to-moderate interest in using WEEDs, and reported most interest in using a bicycle desk,” Rovniak and colleagues wrote. “… By encouraging diverse patients to use WEEDs, medical providers could increase environmental support for patients’ daily physical activity, and contribute to meeting the NCQA and ACA standards for providing comprehensive, patient-centered care.” – by Jason Laday

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.