| Date | November 2017 | Marks available | 1 | Reference code | 17N.3.SL.tz0.10 |
| Level | Standard Level | Paper | Paper 3 | Time zone | time zone 0 |
| Command term | Identify | Question number | 10 | Adapted from | N/A |
Question
An eight-week study investigated physical activity and health in office workers. Participants were assigned to either an intervention group (with an adjustable sit–stand workstation), or a control group (sitting at a desk). The table below shows the mean data for both groups before and after the study.
[Source: Lee E. F. Graves, Rebecca C. Murphy, Sam O. Shepherd, Josephine Cabot and Nicola D. Hopkins (2005)
‘Evaluation of sit-stand workstations in an office setting: a randomised controlled trial.’
BMC Public Health, 15, pages 1145–1159. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-2469-8]
Identify the group that has more back pain after the study.
Calculate the difference in mean sitting time between the control and intervention groups after the study.
Using the data from cholesterol, blood pressure, and neck pain, deduce why the adjustable sit-stand workstations can lead to health benefits.
Markscheme
control ✔
402.2 − 322 ✔
= 80.2 «minutes» ✔
there was a reduction in «total» cholesterol after 8 weeks ✔
there was a reduction in systolic/diastolic BP/lower blood pressure after 8 weeks ✔
both cholesterol and blood pressure reduced more for subjects who were in the intervention group than the control ✔
there was a reduction in neck pain/less neck pain after 8 weeks «it increased in the control» ✔
Examiners report
All done very well.
All done very well.
All done very well.
