Background

Sedentary desk-based workers are at risk of adverse health. With hybrid working on the rise, interventions suitable for homeworkers are needed. Given the ageing working population, it is imperative to ensure older employees (≥ 50) can remain economically active in the years before retirement, without being exposed to additional health risks. This study aimed to use co-design methods, guided by the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW), to develop an intervention to help interrupt prolonged bouts of sedentary behaviour (SB) for older homeworkers.

Methods

Guided by Leask’s framework for participatory intervention development and informed by principles of participatory action research, four co-design workshops and two discussion groups were conducted with older employees from a local council in Greater Manchester between October 2024 and March 2025. The aims and activities of each session were informed by the BCW and sought to address previously identified barriers to interrupting SB when working from home. Data from each session were used to inform subsequent ones, ensuring an iterative and flexible approach to intervention design. Anonymous surveys were also circulated to evaluate the process.

Results

The BOOST-Home intervention (Breaking Out of Occupational Sedentary Time for Homeworkers) was developed, consisting of six intervention functions and 25 behaviour change techniques, across five components: a self-delivered online training module, a weekly online communications reinforcement package, computer prompts, management advocates, and an online meeting initiative.

Conclusions

To our knowledge, this is the first study to use co-design approaches, alongside the BCW, to develop a SB intervention suitable for older homeworkers. The theory-driven approach and detailed reporting of the intervention and its mechanisms of action will allow for future testing and replication.

Full Publication

Using the behaviour change wheel to co-design an intervention to interrupt prolonged bouts of sedentary behaviour in older homeworking employees (BMC Public Health)

Date

August 2026

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