Classroom Desk Research Articles

Effect and process evaluation of implementing standing desks in primary and secondary schools in Belgium: a cluster-randomised controlled trial

BackgroundChildren and adolescents spend a lot of time sitting at school. Implementing standing desks in the classroom is one potential strategy to reduce and break up sitting time. The first aim was to evaluate the effect of implementing standing desks in classrooms in primary and secondary schools on pupils’ sitting-related behaviour and determinants. The second aim was to quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate the process of implementing the desks in the classroom.MethodsWe conducted a cluster-randomised controlled trial with a pre-, mid-, and post-test design including 10 intervention schools (5 primary, 5 secondary schools) and 9 control schools (5 primary, 4 secondary schools) across Flanders, Belgium. Three standing desks were placed in one class in each intervention school for 6 months. At pre-, mid- and post-test, all pupils (n = 311; 54.5% girls) completed a questionnaire whilst a subsample of three pupils per class wore an activPAL inclinometer for one school week. Focus groups with pupils and interviews with teachers were conducted at mid-test. Process evaluation questions were added to the mid- and post-test questionnaire for the intervention group. Qualitative data were analysed using NVivo 11. Multilevel regression analyses were conducted in MLwiN 2.31.ResultsFew significant intervention effects were observed, although activPAL data showed favourable intervention effects on primary school pupils’ sitting and standing time and bouts. Focus groups and interviews showed a generally positive attitude towards using standing desks in both teachers and pupils, although some barriers and suggestions for future implementation were noted, for example regarding the amount of desks per classroom. Quantitative process evaluation data showed a low individual use of standing desks (between 57 and 83 min per week), which significantly decreased across the school year for primary school pupils only.ConclusionsAlthough pupils and teachers were generally positive about the desks, relatively few intervention effects were found. Future studies should consider how to optimise the use of standing desks in classrooms to impact on sitting time, by for example, determining the most feasible intervention design and by encouraging the continued use of standing desks throughout the school year. Moreover, additional intervention strategies (e.g. educational strategies) might be needed.Trial registrationNCT03163004. ClinicalTrials.gov. Registered 22 May 2017 (retrospectively registered).

Stand Out in Class: restructuring the classroom environment to reduce sedentary behaviour in 9\u201310-year-olds\xa0\u2014\xa0study protocol for a pilot cluster randomised controlled trial

BackgroundSedentary behaviour (sitting) is a highly prevalent negative health behaviour, with individuals of all ages exposed to environments that promote prolonged sitting. Excessive sedentary behaviour adversely affects health in children and adults. As sedentary behaviour tracks from childhood into adulthood, the reduction of sedentary time in young people is key for the prevention of chronic diseases that result from excessive sitting in later life. The sedentary school classroom represents an ideal setting for environmental change, through the provision of sit-stand desks. Whilst the use of sit-stand desks in classrooms demonstrates positive effects in some key outcomes, evidence is currently limited by small samples and/or short intervention durations, with few studies adopting randomised controlled trial (RCT) designs. This paper describes the protocol of a pilot cluster RCT of a sit-stand desk intervention in primary school classrooms.Methods/DesignA two-arm pilot cluster RCT will be conducted in eight primary schools (four intervention, four control) with at least 120 year 5 children (aged 9–10 years). Sit-stand desks will replace six standard desks in the intervention classrooms. Teachers will be encouraged to ensure all pupils are exposed to the sit-stand desks for at least 1 h/day on average using a rotation system. Schools assigned to the control arm will continue with their usual practice, no environmental changes will be made to their classrooms. Measurements will be taken at baseline, before randomisation, and at the end of the schools’ academic year. In this study, the primary outcomes of interest will be school and participant recruitment and attrition, acceptability of the intervention, and acceptability and compliance to the proposed outcome measures (including activPAL-measured school-time and school-day sitting, accelerometer-measured physical activity, adiposity, blood pressure, cognitive function, academic progress, engagement, and behaviour) for inclusion in a definitive trial. A full process evaluation and an exploratory economic evaluation will also be conducted to further inform a definitive trial.DiscussionThe primary output of this study will be acceptability data to inform the development of a definitive cluster RCT designed to examine the efficacy of this intervention on health- and education-related outcomes in UK primary school children.Trial registrationISRCTN12915848 (retrospectively registered, date registered 9 November 2016).

Impact of a classroom standing desk intervention on daily objectively measured sedentary behavior and physical activity in youth

ObjectivesWe investigated the impact of a standing desk intervention on daily objectively monitored sedentary behavior and physical activity in 6th grade school students. DesignCluster non-randomised controlled trial. MethodTwo classes (intervention students: n=22 [aged 11.8±0.4years]; control students: n=27 [11.6±0.5years]) from a public school in Lisbon were selected. The intervention involved replacing traditional seated classroom desks for standing desks, for a total duration of 16 weeks, in addition to performing teacher training and holding education/motivation sessions with students and parents. Sedentary behavior (ActivPAL inclinometer) and physical activity (Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometer) were measured for seven days immediately before and after the intervention. ResultsThere were no differences in baseline behaviors between intervention and control groups (p>0.05). At follow-up (16 weeks), it was observed that the intervention group had decreased time spent sitting (total week: −6.8% and at school: −13.0% relative to baseline) and increased standing (total week: 16.5% and at school: 31.0%) based on inclinometer values (p-value for interaction group*time <0.05). No significant differences in activity outcomes were observed outside school time (week or weekend) between groups. ConclusionWe conclude that a 16 week classroom standing desk intervention successfully reduced sitting time and increase standing time at school, with no observed compensatory effects outside of school time.

I Can Stand Learning: A Controlled Pilot Intervention Study on the Effects of Increased Standing Time on Cognitive Function in Primary School Children

Sedentarism is considered an independent cardiovascular risk factor. Thus, the present study investigated the effects of employing standing desks in classrooms on cognitive function. The intervention class (IG; n = 19) was supplied with standing desks and balance pads for 11 weeks. The control class (CG; n = 19) received lessons as usual. Standing time was assessed objectively (accelerometers) and subjectively (self-report sheets, external classroom observers). The impact of standing on the digit span task and Eriksen flanker task was analysed. The standing time of the IG was higher during the school day in comparison to the CG (lesson: p = 0.004; break: p = 0.003). The intra-class correlation coefficient between self-reports and external observation was high (ICC = 0.94). The IG improved slightly on the Digit Span Task compared to CG. Employing standing desks for at least 1 h per school day serves as a feasible and effective opportunity to improve cognitive function.

Introducing sit-stand desks increases classroom standing time among university students.

Excessive sedentary behavior has been associated with many negative health outcomes. While an understudied health topic, there is evidence that university students are excessively sedentary. Sit-stand desks have been shown to reduce sedentary time among pre-university students (ages 5–18 years) and sedentary workers but have not been tested in university classrooms. This study tested the effects of introducing sit-stand desks into a university classroom on student's classroom sitting and standing behaviors. Using a cross-over design, students received access to both traditional seated desks and sit-stand desks for six weeks. Data were collected between September and December, 2016. We recruited 304 healthy undergraduate university students enrolled in one of two small (25 seats) classrooms at a large Midwestern university during the fall of 2016. Average minutes of standing/hour/student, average percent class time spent standing, and the number of sit-stand transitions/student/hour were directly observed with video camera surveillance. Participants stood significantly more (p < 0.001) when provided access to sit-stand desks (7.2 min/h/student; 9.3% of class time spent standing) compared to when they had access to seated desks (0.7 min/h/student; 1.6% of class time spent standing) but no differences were observed for the number of sit-stand transitions (p = 0.47). Students reported high favorability for the sit-stand desks and improvements in several student engagement and affective outcomes while using the sit-stand desks. These findings support introducing sit-stand desks in university classrooms as an approach to reduce sedentary behaviors of university students.

Numerical and experimental study of personalized ventilation installed in a double occupation desk placed nearby a window subjected to solar radiation

ABSTRACTIn this study the thermal comfort, the local thermal discomfort and the air quality levels, experienced by two occupants seated at a classroom desk are analysed. The desk is equipped with personalized ventilation systems and is positioned nearby a window subjected to solar radiation. Experimental observations are based on a manikin study and results are compared with CFD analysis using the k-epson and the RNG turbulent models. In the experimental tests the air velocity and temperature were measured in the air terminal devices and around the human body. Relative humidity was measured inside the space, solar radiation was evaluated in the window glass and the Mean Radiant Temperature was numerically evaluated.In the numerical methodology, the thermal comfort level in a non-uniform environment was evaluated using the developed multi-nodal human thermal comfort numerical model, the local thermal discomfort level is evaluated through empirical models, while the air quality level and the detailed airflow around the occupants were evaluated using CFD analysis.

The effects of using stationary bicycle desks in classrooms on adolescents’ physical activity

ABSTRACTThe high level of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents has been termed a public health crisis and is associated with low levels of physical activity (PA). Experts recommend that youth engage in 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous PA per day, yet two-thirds of adolescents do not obtain this goal. Schools have been identified as locations in which PA promotion should occur, but there are limited opportunities for adolescents to enhance their PA during school hours. The present study used stationary bicycle desks (FitDesk) in a secondary school to investigate whether these desks enhanced student PA over an academic year. Results indicated that the students on the bicycle desks spent less relative time in sedentary activity, spent more time in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and improved each of the PA outcomes compared to the control group from Assessment Period 1 to Period 2. Students and teachers noted both advantages and limitations of using the desks during the school day but overall were enthusiastic about the use of FitDesks in classrooms. Implications for enhancing activity during the school day for occupational therapists and limitations of using the stationary bike desks are discussed.

Relationship between Features of Desks and Chairs and Prevalence of Skeletal Disorders in Primary School Students in Abadan

BackgroundSitting on inappropriate benches, as well as the poor posture (body position) during the years of growth, can lead to spinal disorders, fatigue and discomfort in students. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between features of desks and chairs and prevalence of some musculoskeletal disorders in primary school students in Abadan.Materials and MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted in 2015 in the city of Abadan- South West of Iran; for which, 383 primary school students were selected and studied through cluster sampling method. Data were collected by the checkered board and researcher-made questionnaire. Features and dimensions of desks and chairs of students were recorded and evaluated based on their condition (being standard or not). Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS, version 22; and then, descriptive statistics and Chi-square test were conducted.ResultsStudy results showed that about 56.1% of the desks and chairs in under study schools were non-standard. It found that drooping shoulder (85.4%) and scoliosis (81.7%) were the more prevalent disorders and back straight (1.6%) was the least frequent disorder. There was a significant relationship between the variable of non-standard desks and chairs and prevalence of drooping shoulders (P=0.001), scoliosis (P= 0.04), kyphosis (P=0.007) and lordosis (P=0.002) disorders in students.ConclusionThe non-standard-sized desks and chairs increase the prevalence of skeletal disorders in schoolchildren. Therefore, it is essential to pay attention to design and build standard classroom desks and chairs, which are best, adjust to students’ physics.

Backtalk

The author, who taught 4th and 5th grade, got rid of his own pedestal classroom desk two years ago. What followed were a greater focus on students and more conversations and better relationships with them.

Learning to Stand: The Acceptability and Feasibility of Introducing Standing Desks into College Classrooms.

Prolonged sedentary behavior is an independent risk factor for multiple negative health outcomes. Evidence supports introducing standing desks into K-12 classrooms and work settings to reduce sitting time, but no studies have been conducted in the college classroom environment. The present study explored the acceptability and feasibility of introducing standing desks in college classrooms. A total of 993 students and 149 instructors completed a single online needs assessment survey. This cross-sectional study was conducted during the fall semester of 2015 at a large Midwestern University. The large majority of students (95%) reported they would prefer the option to stand in class. Most students (82.7%) reported they currently sit during their entire class time. Most students (76.6%) and instructors (86.6%) reported being in favor of introducing standing desks into college classrooms. More than half of students and instructors predicted having access to standing desks in class would improve student’s “physical health”, “attention”, and “restlessness”. Collectively, these findings support the acceptability of introducing standing desks in college classrooms. Future research is needed to test the feasibility, cost-effectiveness and efficacy of introducing standing desks in college classrooms. Such studies would be useful for informing institutional policies regarding classroom designs.

Effectiveness of intervention strategies exclusively targeting reductions in children's sedentary time: a systematic review of the literature.

An increasing number of interventions targeting sedentary behaviour in children have emerged in recent years. Recently published reviews included sedentary behaviour and physical activity interventions. This review critically summarizes evidence on the effectiveness of intervention strategies that exclusively targeted reducing sedentary time in children and adolescents. We performed a systematic literature search in Pubmed, Embase and the Cochrane Library through November 2015. Two independent reviewers selected eligible studies, extracted relevant data and rated the methodological quality using the assessment tool for quantitative studies. We included 21 intervention studies, of which 8 studies scored moderate on methodological quality and 13 studies scored weak. Four out of eight moderate quality studies reported significant beneficial intervention effects.Although descriptions of intervention strategies were not always clearly reported, we identified encouragement of a TV turnoff week and implementing standing desks in classrooms as promising strategies. Due to a lack of high quality studies and inconsistent findings, we found no convincing evidence for the effectiveness of existing interventions targeting solely sedentary behaviour. We recommend that future studies apply mediation analyses to explore which strategies are most effective. Furthermore, to increase the effectiveness of interventions, knowledge of children’s motives to engage in sedentary behavior is required, as well as their opinion on potentially effective intervention strategies.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12966-016-0387-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The effects of standing desks within the school classroom: A systematic review.

BackgroundThe school classroom environment often dictates that pupils sit for prolonged periods which may be detrimental for children's health. Replacing traditional school desks with standing desks may reduce sitting time and provide other benefits. The aim of this systematic review was to assess the impact of standing desks within the school classroom.MethodStudies published in English up to and including June 2015 were located from online databases and manual searches. Studies implementing standing desks within the school classroom, including children and/or adolescents (aged 5–18 years) which assessed the impact of the intervention using a comparison group or pre–post design were included.ResultsEleven studies were eligible for inclusion; all were set in primary/elementary schools, and most were conducted in the USA (n = 6). Most were non-randomised controlled trials (n = 7), with durations ranging from a single time point to five months. Energy expenditure (measured over 2 h during school day mornings) was the only outcome that consistently demonstrated positive results (three out of three studies). Evidence for the impact of standing desks on sitting, standing, and step counts was mixed. Evidence suggested that implementing standing desks in the classroom environment appears to be feasible, and not detrimental to learning.ConclusionsInterventions utilising standing desks in classrooms demonstrate positive effects in some key outcomes but the evidence lacks sufficient quality and depth to make strong conclusions. Future studies using randomised control trial designs with larger samples, longer durations, with sitting, standing time and academic achievement as primary outcomes, are warranted.

EVALUATION ON DISCOMFORT LEVEL AMONG STUDENTS USING DESKS IN CLASSROOMS

This study was conducted to evaluate the discomfort level among students using desks in classrooms of Polytechnic Kuching. The students (n=500) completed the questionnaire survey form using Borg’s CR-10 Scale showing body chart discomfort. The students was asked to identify their body areas experiencing discomfort and to rate this discomfort on a score rating groups (0 to 5). Score 0-1.99 = No discomfort (1), score 2.00-3.99 = Discomfort (2) and score 4.00-5.00 = Very uncomfortable (3). The evaluation of the seating shows discomfort level of students and any outstanding problems arising. Students were asked to rank in the order of 10 statements about comfort and choose three responses which gave the most consistent equal interval scale. The results in that the main response of discomfort indicated the students mostly agree that they are feeling from cramped, stiff, numb, sore and tender to unbearable pain, barely comfortable and feel uncomfortable. The project was identified to evaluate the comfort level of classrooms desks for polytechnic students. Overall, there was a significant discomfort level for the students whilst using the desks and a possible solution put forward is to design a new type of classroom desk made of natural fibre reinforced composite.

Anthropometric Evaluation of Proposed Improved Designs of the Classroom Desk for Benghazi Primary Schools

Anthropometric evaluation of the classroom desk design that is currently being used in Benghazi pub- lic primary schools showed poor compatibility with students’ anthropometry. Several equations relating body dimensions to furniture dimensions were used to complete the evaluation. Anthropometric data used for the evaluation were gathered for a total of 360 students for the first three grades (children of age 6 to 10 years old) from eight schools. The existing design comprise a one size of a combined bench-table classroom desk, the preferred design solution would be the use of completely adjustable separated chairs and desks; however, only the more practically feasible solution of adjusting the size of the existing design was investi- gated in this study. Two alternative designs were proposed. One suggested the use of one size per each grade. The other suggested the use of one size for all three grades. Both alternatives considerably improved compatibility with students’ anthropometry.

¿Dibujos inocentes? Manifestación gráfica-simbólica de alumnos universitarios en sus pupitres

En este trabajo se analizan dibujos estudiantiles hechos en pupitres por los estudiantes de la carrera de Ciencias de la Comunicación en la Universidad de Occidente, Unidad Culiacán, con una muestra de figuras y composiciones que hacen referencia a objetos, personas o conceptos. Para problematizar y analizar los dibujos se recurrió a los conceptos de cultura, cultura organizacional, símbolo, grafiti, objeto icónico y función semiótica. Las categorías e inferencias deducen una realidad particular que vive el joven universitario en Sinaloa.

The effect of stand-biased desks on academic engagement: an exploratory study

Schools have been suggested as a viable avenue to combat childhood obesity. School administrators are sometimes faced with the conflicting demands of improving the health of their students and maintaining academic performance. Dynamic furniture such as stand-biased desks may be one way to address both academic and health demands placed on schools to prevent childhood obesity. Classrooms with stand-biased desks were compared with classrooms using traditional seated desks in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades. The academic engagement of 282 participants was observed in the fall and spring during one academic year. The engagement of the treatment classrooms was compared with the engagement of the control classrooms. Both groups showed general increases in their academic engagement over time. Stand-biased desks do not seem to result in adverse effects on academic engagement when used in elementary classrooms. The data suggest promising results for the use of stand-biased desks in elementary school classrooms. The results suggest that stand-biased desks can be introduced in the classroom to combat childhood obesity through increasing energy expenditure without affecting academic engagement.

NFC 기반의 고등교육기관 출결지원 시스템에 대한 실증적 연구

We propose a low cost attendance checking system using NFC (Near Field Communication) and show a case study of an actual operation of the system in a higher education institute. The system offers a direct attendance check service when a student touches NFC tag on a classroom desk with his/her own smartphone. Our service was first developed and operated in 2012, and then additional functions like massive real time processing were reinforced. In the fall semester, 58 courses use the service and 96% of the class attendance was checked with mobile devices. The only hardware requirement of the system was NFC tag on the classroom desk, which reduced hardware cost dramatically. However, it also minimized attendance checking time into 1 minute regardless of enrolled student number.

Pop Quiz: Truth is Stranger Than Fiction

This satirical quiz examines some of the strange facets of education, ranging from the role of politicians to whether there should be desks in elementary classrooms.

Association between elevated light levels in classrooms and change in vision acuity among elementary and secondary students

To explore the association between elevated light levels in classrooms and change in vision acuity among elementary and secondary students. A total of 4 elementary (grade 1-5) and secondary (grade 7-8) schools in urban and rural areas in Sujiatun, Shenyang, China were selected by cluster sampling as experimental schools, and lighting systems have been rebuilt to improve the ambient light levels in 56 classrooms in November 2012. The control schools were chosen for the comparable academic burden and adjacent location to experimental schools, 4 schools in all. Cluster sampling of all students in the selected schools as the subjects was carried out. A total of 2 092 students were chosen as experimental group and 1 595 students were in the control group. The luxmeter was used to measure illuminance of classrooms in two groups at baseline, and intervention for 1 month, respectively.Students in both groups were underwent 3 times for vision acuity examination by standard logarithmic visual acuity chart at baseline, intervention for 6 month and intervention for 1 year, respectively. The light levels of desk and blackboard in two groups were compared by Wilcoxon test. Multivariate analysis of covariance with repeated measures was performed to assess three vision acuity results between groups. After intervention, the average illuminance of desk (117.5 vs 532.5 lx, Z = -5.38, P < 0.001) and blackboard (75.6 vs 423.5 lx, Z = -5.38, P < 0.001) and uniformity of desk (Z = -4.28, P < 0.001) with new lighting were improved significantly than that with old lighting, however the uniformity of blackboard was lower than baseline significantly (0.64 vs 0.70, Z = -2.34, P = 0.019). The average scores of vision acuity in students at baseline, intervention for 6 month and intervention for 1 year were 4.87 ± 0.23, 4.84 ± 0.25 and 4.85 ± 0.23 in experimental group, and 4.88 ± 0.22, 4.84 ± 0.25 and 4.81 ± 0.27 in control group, respectively. The significant differences between groups were found and F values were 1.41, 0.13, 19.99, P values were 0.235,0.724, <0.001. At last the average vision acuity in experimental group were significantly better than that in control group either among elementary (4.90 ± 0.20) vs (4.87 ± 0.21) score, F = 13.61, P < 0.001 or secondary students (4.73 ± 0.28) vs (4.68 ± 0.32) score, F = 14.25, P < 0.001. Visual acuity loss could be decreased in students with elevated light levels which may slow the response to myopiagenic stimuli for eyes, therefore the ambient light levels of blackboard and desk in classroom should be improved.

Anthropometric Evaluation of the Design of the Classroom Desk for the Fourth and Fifth Grades of Benghazi Primary Schools

The objective of this study is to evaluate the existing design of the classroom desk used in the basic education stage in public schools in the city of Benghazi. This article reports results of the second phase of the study which covers the fourth and the fifth grades. Anthropometric data were gathered for a total of 120 students (children of age 9 to 11 years old, half males) from four schools. Several body dimensions were measured for each student (popliteal height, popliteal-buttock length, shoulder height sitting, knee height, elbow height sitting, shoulder to elbow length, and hip breadth sitting). The evaluation procedure involves the utilization of several equations relating body dimensions to desk dimensions. Each equation computes an acceptable range for each desk dimension based on the associated body dimension. Each desk dimension is compared to the range computed for the related body dimension for each student and percentages of matches/mismatches are determined accordingly. Results of the evaluation revealed considerable percentages of mismatches between the desk dimensions and students anthropometry.