Traditional Chinese Medicine based intervention for reducing sedentariness and improving psychological well-being in office workers: a feasibility randomized controlled trial.
Wang C, Lu E, et al. • Frontiers in public health • 2026
A TCM-based sedentariness reduction intervention demonstrated feasibility, high acceptability, and preliminary efficacy in reducing sedentary behaviors of office workers, with all feasibility criteria fulfilled and a medium effect size reduction in sitting time.
Key Findings
Results
All feasibility criteria for the TCM-based intervention were fulfilled, with recruitment, retention, adherence, and assessment completion rates all exceeding 80%.
Rates of recruitment, retention, adherence, and assessment completion all exceeded the 80% threshold.
No adverse events were reported throughout the study.
Participants in the intervention group reported high satisfaction with the program.
The study was a feasibility randomized controlled trial with 38 office workers in Hong Kong randomly assigned to intervention (n=19) or waitlist control (n=19).
Results
Participants in the intervention group showed a reduction in total sitting time compared to the control group with a medium effect size after the intervention.
Mean change in sitting time was -21.61 minutes (95% CI: [-92.43, 4.64]).
Effect size was medium with Hedge's g = -0.627.
Sitting time was assessed using ActiGraph wGT3X-BT® accelerometers at baseline (T1), after 4-week intervention (T2), and 4-week follow-up (T3).
Participants were office workers sitting over 5.5 hours per workday prior to recruitment.
The confidence interval crossed zero, indicating the result was not statistically significant but suggested a preliminary efficacy signal.
Results
Perceived stress was significantly reduced from baseline to post-intervention (T2) among participants in the intervention group.
Mean change in perceived stress was -3.05 (95% CI: [-4.94, -1.16]).
Effect size was medium-to-large with Hedge's g = -0.745.
The confidence interval did not cross zero, suggesting a statistically meaningful within-group reduction.
Stress reduction was observed within the intervention group specifically; between-group differences in other health outcomes were not meaningful.
Results
No meaningful differences were observed in quality of life or sleep quality within or between groups.
Health outcomes explored included stress, quality of life, and sleep quality.
Only perceived stress showed a notable within-group change in the intervention group.
Quality of life and sleep quality outcomes did not show meaningful changes over the study period.
The study was not powered to detect statistically significant differences in secondary outcomes given its feasibility design.
Methods
The TCM-based intervention consisted of three workshops over 2 weeks followed by a two-week assisted self-practice period.
Workshops covered mind-body activities including dantian breathing, Baduanjin, and stretching.
Workshops also included acupressure techniques related to stress management.
Strategies to combat environmental factors related to sedentary behaviors were included.
The total intervention duration was 4 weeks, with assessments at baseline, post-intervention, and 4-week follow-up.
What This Means
This research suggests that a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)-based program designed to reduce sitting time among office workers is practical and well-received. The study tested a 4-week program with 38 office workers in Hong Kong who typically sat for more than 5.5 hours during each workday. Half of the participants attended workshops teaching TCM practices like Baduanjin (a set of gentle exercises), dantian breathing, acupressure for stress relief, and strategies for breaking up long periods of sitting. The study found that it was feasible to run such a program — more than 80% of participants were recruited, stayed in the study, attended sessions, and completed assessments, and nobody reported any harm from the activities.
In terms of actual health effects, participants who received the TCM program showed a moderate reduction in daily sitting time compared to those on the waitlist, though the difference was not statistically conclusive given the small sample size. More notably, those in the intervention group reported a meaningful reduction in perceived stress after the 4-week program. Other outcomes like sleep quality and overall quality of life did not show notable changes during this short study period.
This research suggests that combining traditional mind-body practices with workplace sedentary behavior reduction strategies is an acceptable and potentially effective approach for office workers. However, because this was a small feasibility study designed primarily to test whether a larger trial would be practical, the authors note that a full-scale randomized controlled trial with more participants is needed before drawing firm conclusions about the program's effectiveness.
Wang C, Lu E, Li Z, Sun W, Chang J, Cheung W, et al.. (2026). Traditional Chinese Medicine based intervention for reducing sedentariness and improving psychological well-being in office workers: a feasibility randomized controlled trial.. Frontiers in public health. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1744556