NCT05585190Recruiting
Stand up for Your Health With a Sit-stand Desk
Stand Up for Your Health: A Randomized Study
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 4 May 2026
Brief summary (registry, in English)
More than 84 million - or 1 out of every 3 U.S. adults - have prediabetes, a condition that if not treated often leads to type 2 diabetes within five years. Average medical expenditures among diabetics are about 2.3 times higher than expenditures for people without diabetes. Physical inactivity and elevated body mass index (BMI) are major risk factors for the disease. Sedentary behavior is becoming increasingly prevalent with the growth of a 'work from home' culture, most recently driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. Cross-sectional epidemiologic data report significant associations between high amounts of sedentary (sitting) time and prevalent cardiovascular disease and diabetes. In our pilot study of 15 subjects with sedentary office jobs, 6 months of sit-stand desk use resulted in a 23% improvement in insulin resistance, most substantial in those who decreased daily sitting by over 90 minutes/day. Additional improvements in vascular endothelial function and triglyceride levels were seen without any change in exercise activity, step counts, or body weight. These findings not only corroborate epidemiologic findings on this topic but suggest causality and warrant a randomized control trial. The investigators hypothesize that adult subjects at-risk for diabetes will improve insulin sensitivity, metabolic and vascular (endothelial) health with a sit-stand desk intervention at work (whether in the office or at home), in the context of a randomized, controlled trial. The investigators will randomize 198 sedentary office workers with a BMI≥25 at risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus in a 1:1:1 ratio of three groups: (a) sit-stand desk intervention targeting 2 hours standing per day; (b) sit-stand desk intervention targeting 3 hours standing per day; or (c) control arm over 6 months. The block randomization design will allow for important dose-response analyses. The investigators will objectively quantify standing time, sedentary time, sedentary bouts, daily steps, and exercise activity times using a compact and re-usable accelerometer that adheres to the subject's thigh. This will provide objective assessments of activity levels and sedentary times for 7 full days each at baseline, 3 and 6 months. The device is equipped with an inclinometer to classify posture (sitting verses standing).
- Status (registry)
- Recruiting
- Study type
- Interventional
- Enrollment
- 198 (estimated)
- First submitted
- 15 Oct 2022
- Start date
- 6 Feb 2023
- Primary completion date
- 31 Dec 2027
- Lead sponsor
- Medical College of Wisconsin
- Diseases
- Obesity
- NCT number
- NCT05585190
What you commit to
- Study type: Interventional
- Planned participants: 198
- From 6 Feb 2023 to the primary completion date, 31 Dec 2027
- 1 site in 1 country
- Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them
Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.
Who cannot take part
Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.
Prior treatment
- Tobacco use within the previous 12 months
- Current illicit drug use or excessive alcohol use (defined as more than 14 drinks/week for women, more than 28 drinks/week for men)
- Steroid use ≥21 days/year
Other illness
- Established cardiovascular disease (myocardial infarction, coronary stent, coronary artery bypass grafting, cardiac transplant, or angina)
- Established congestive heart failure or cardiomyopathy
- Established peripheral vascular disease
- Chronic musculoskeletal disorders involving the lower extremities, such as arthritis of the knees or hips, or regular use of ambulatory assist devices such as a walker or cane
- Positional syncope or history of orthostasis
- Thyroid disease
- Uncontrolled or untreated hypertension(\>150/90 mm Hg)
Lab values
- Established diabetes (HbA1c ≥ 6.5% or on diabetes medications or insulin)
- Fasting triglyceride level ≥ 500 mg/dL
Other
- Neuropathy of any etiology
- Less than 4 days/week at any single office (or work-from-home) location.
- Current use of a standing desk for work
- Pregnant or lactating (or plans to become pregnant in the next 6 months)
- LDL cholesterol ≥ 190mg/dL
- Currently enrolled or plans to diet or join a weight loss program over the next 6 months.
- Non-English speaker
Who the study is looking for
- Overweight or obese (body mass index of 25 kg/m2 or higher)
- Employees with "sedentary" jobs, defined as spending at least 75% of their (8 hours or more) workday sitting at a desk (at home or in an office)
- Defined as "at-risk" for diabetes, defined as either:
- Prediabetes (HbA1c of 5.7% to 6.4%) or a fasting glucose of 100 to 125 mg/dL
- Having one or more additional risk factors: (beyond BMI\>25)
- Age 45 years or older
- Family history of diabetes mellitus in a first-degree relative
- Physical inactivity (no structured exercise activity)
- History of gestational diabetes, hypertension, or dyslipidemia
- African American, Alaska Native, American Indian, Asian American, Hispanic/Latino, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander ethnicity
Age in the registry: 18 years to 79 years · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers
Sites (1)
Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.
| Site | City | Country | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical College of Wisconsin Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Milwaukee | United States | Recruiting |
Related publications
- Stand up for your health: Rationale and design for a randomized controlled trial.Contemp Clin Trials · 2026 · PMID 41506470
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.