a b s t r a c t
Prolonged sitting can cause health problems and musculoskeletal discomfort. There is a need for
objective and non-obstructive means of measuring sitting behavior. A ‘smart’ office chair can monitor
sitting behavior and provide tactile feedback, aiming to improve sitting behavior. This study aimed to
investigate the effect of the feedback signal on sitting behavior and musculoskeletal discomfort. In a 12-
week prospective cohort study (ABCB design) among office workers (n ¼ 45) was measured sitting
duration and posture, feedback signals and musculoskeletal discomfort. Between the study phases, small
changes were observed in mean sitting duration, posture and discomfort. After turning off the feedback
signal, a slight increase in sitting duration was observed (10 min, p ¼ 0.04), a slight decrease in optimally
supported posture (2.8%, p < 0.01), and musculoskeletal discomfort (0.8, p < 0.01) was observed. We
conclude that the ‘smart’ chair is able to monitor the sitting behavior, the feedback signal, however, led to
small or insignificant changes.
© 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
