Effect of active breaks on stress and musculoskeletal discomfort during work in office workers

Abstract Background Musculoskeletal disorders and stress are a common problem for office workers. Aims Evaluate the effect of 8 weeks of intervention with active breaks via video call in musculoskeletal discomfort and stress in office workers. Methods Thirty-one office workers completed an-8-week active break program with 2 weekly sessionss with exercise (15 min) implemented via video call. Stretching, mobility, and body weight resistance exercises were prescribed and implemented by a sports scientist. Participants recorded musculoskeletal discomfort using the Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire at the beginning and end of the intervention. In addition, perceived stress was evaluated using the 14-item perceived stress scale (PSS-14). Differences between pre and post-evaluations were analyzed using the paired t test of Student for age, BMI, and perceived stress variables. For discomfort variables, which did not present a normal distribution, the Wilcoxon rank test was employed. Results The workers had an average adherence of 82% to the active break intervention. At the end of the intervention, the workers significantly decreased the perception of discomfort in the neck, lower back, and total body score ( p < 0.05). Perceived stress did not decrease significantly in the entire group. Conclusions Performing active breaks via video call with stretching and body weight strength exercises reduces the perception of neck and low back discomfort in office workers.