Background: Sit-stand desks have been suggested as an initiative to increase posture variation among office workers. However, there is limited evidence of what would be preferable combinations of time sitting and standing. The aim of this study was to determine and compare perceived pleasantness, acceptability, pain and fatigue for five time patterns of sitting and standing at a sit-stand desk.

Methods: Thirty post-graduate students were equally divided into a normal-weight (mean BMI 22.8 kg/m²) and an overweight/obese (mean BMI 28.1 kg/m²) group. They performed 3 hours of computer work at a sit-stand desk on five different days, each day with a different time pattern (A: 60-min sit/0-min stand; B: 50/10; C: 40/20; D: 30/30; E: 20/40). Pleasantness, acceptability, pain and fatigue ratings were obtained at the beginning and at the end of the 3-hour period.

Results: High ratings of pleasantness were observed for time patterns B, C and D in both groups. All participants rated acceptability to be good for time patterns A to D. A minor increase in perceived fatigue and pain was observed in time pattern E.

Conclusion: For new sit-stand desk users, regardless of BMI, 10-30 min of standing per hour appears to be an amenable time pattern.