Active Design: Architectural Interventions for Improving Occupational Health Through Reducing Sedentary Behavior - A Systematic Review

Objectives: To systematically review architects' literature concerning stair promoting design interventions for reducing sedentary behavior and improving occupational health.

Data sources: English language, manuscripts published between 2000 and 2022 in Google scholar, Science Direct, PubMed, CINAHL, and ERIC.

Study inclusion and exclusion criteria: The criteria for inclusion in this review include; Presence of two words from the searching term in the title, a study conducted by an architect (or at least one architect author), English language, published after 2000, investigate built environment and design features that influence stair use in the building.

Data extraction: The data extraction process included; Author (year), country, study design, type of buildings, the population of the study, duration of the study, measured variables (dependent and independent), measurement tool, analysis and outcomes.

Data synthesis: Extracted data were synthesized in a tabular format and analytical figures with narratives summary.

Result: Nine features of the built environment that affect stair use determined from the literature; safety, motivations, appeal and comfort, and legibility were the most common features in the studies, followed by connectivity, building codes, and elevator programming. The good quality of mentioned features positively affects stair use level and vice versa. However, the review also reports a shortage of architects in both practice and research concerning active stair design.

Conclusion: Stair use is of great importance in increasing physical activity and improving occupational health in the workplace. Architects and designers should pay special attention to the design of staircases and encourage their everyday use by considering the largest number of features that encourage stair use.