Research Needs for and Barriers to Use of Treadmill Workstations

Abstract

Although laboratory studies demonstrate increases in energy expenditure with the use of treadmill workstations, effectiveness and efficiency studies demonstrating improved energy expenditure in real workplaces have yet to build the evidence to support use of such workstations. Psychosocial barriers to using treadmill workstations are related to communication (noise and hierarchy), need for motivation, peer pressure, and adaptation that might affect performance. Answers to questions such as whether the institution is willing to pay more to acquire very-low-noise devices, whether it is able to tolerate low use of treadmills, and whether vendors exist with no-hassle return policies may help in properly implementing treadmill workstations.