Standing Desks in a Grade 4 Classroom over the Full School Year

Bibliographic Data

ID15501671
AuthorsSharon Parry (0000-0002-3924-3929, Curtin University, corresponding author), Beatriz IR de Oliveira (0000-0002-8770-5075, Curtin University), Joanne McVeigh (0000-0002-3243-5995, University of the Witwatersrand), Joanne A McVeigh (Curtin University), Joyln Ee (Curtin University), Angela Jacques (0000-0002-0461-681X, Curtin University), Leon Straker (0000-0002-7786-4128, Curtin University)
Year2019
Volume16
Issue19
Pages3590-3590
Publication date2019-09-25
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601
PublisherMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3390/ijerph16193590
PMID31557874
OpenAlexW2976087375
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited43

School-aged children are spending increasingly long periods of time engaged in sedentary activities such as sitting. Recent school-based studies have examined the intervention effects of introducing standing desks into the classroom in the short and medium term. The aim of this repeated-measures crossover design study was to assess the sit-stand behaviour, waking sedentary time and physical activity, and musculoskeletal discomfort at the start and the end of a full school year following the provision of standing desks into a Grade 4 classroom. Accelerometry and musculoskeletal discomfort were measured in both standing and traditional desk conditions at the start and at the end of the school year. At both time points, when students used a standing desk, there was an increase in standing time (17-26 min/school day) and a reduction in sitting time (17-40 min/school day). There was no significant difference in sit-stand behaviour during school hours or sedentary time and physical activity during waking hours between the start and the end of the school year. Students were less likely to report discomfort in the neck and shoulders when using a standing desk and this finding was consistent over the full school year. The beneficial effects of using a standing desk were maintained over the full school year, after the novelty of using a standing desk had worn off

Desk · Physical activity · Physical therapy · Sedentary behavior · Shoulders · Sitting · Children's Physical and Motor Development · Engineering · Medicine · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet · Physical Activity and Health · Psychology

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