Gao 2015

Methods	non‐random allocation unblinded Study duration: 6 months Drop outs: 49% Location: University of Jyväskylä, Finland Recruitment: All faculty employees (n = 170) were invited to fill out a questionnaire between August and September 2012 and again in February 2013.
Participants	Population: Healthy adults working in a university setting: researchers, teachers, administrative workers, assistants, professors and technical workers. Intervention group: 24 participants Control group: 21 participants Demographics: Mean age: Intervention 47.8 (SD 10.8) years, control 39 (SD 8.5) years. 70.8% were females in the intervention group and 81% were females in the control group. BMI (kg/m²): Intervention: 24.8 (SD 3.9), control: 23.3 (SD 3.8)
Interventions	Duration of intervention: 6 months Intervention: sit‐stand desk Control: no intervention
Outcomes	Outcome name, measurement time/tool (units of measurement) Changes in occupational sedentary time (% of work time spent sitting and standing) measured by self‐reported questionnaire Changes in health outcomes and work ability measured by self‐reported questionnaire Daily usage of the sit–stand function measured by self‐reported questionnaire
Notes	The study was funded by the China Scholarship Council (201206320092).
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	High risk	The study did not employ randomisation. Part of the personnel moved to a renovated building with sit‐stand workstations.
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	High risk	Allocation was not concealed
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) All outcomes	High risk	No blinding
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes	High risk	Sitting time was self‐reported by the participants. Participants receiving the intervention would have been aware of the goals set and the purpose of the intervention, and may have misreported outcomes.
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	High risk	The questionnaire was returned by 92 employees at baseline, before working at sit–stand workstations, and 61 employees after 6 months. Those who completed the questionnaire only once were excluded, leaving 45 individuals who were included in the analysis. The study lost 49% participants during follow‐up.
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Low risk	All outcomes mentioned in the protocol were reported.
Baseline comparability/ imbalance	High risk	In the intervention group participants were older and had more experience of office work. 70.8% were females in the intervention group and 81% were females in the control group. BMI (kg/m²): Intervention: 24.8 (3.9), control: 23.3 (3.8)
Validity of outcome measure	High risk	Validity of the questionnaire used in the study has not been tested.