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College Classroom Instructors Can Effectively Promote Standing among Students Provided with Standing Desks.

ABSTRACT: Standing desks may reduce sedentary behaviors in college students. Students at one mid-size urban university in the Midwestern United States were randomized into intervention (n = 21) and control groups (n = 27) to assess standing time when given access to standing desks. The intervention group received visual and oral instructor prompts to stand, while the control received no prompts during a 50 min lecture. All students were provided with adjustable tabletop standing desks. ActivPAL accelerometers measured sitting and standing time. A brief survey assessed student preferences, including facilitators and barriers to standing. Mean standing time was greater in the intervention vs. control group (26 vs. 17 min, p = 0.023). Students tended to stand in the corners and edges of the room. Main facilitators for standing included to break up sitting, reduce back pain, and increase attention and focus; main barriers were not wanting to distract others or be the only one standing. In total, 87.5% of intervention group participants found five prompts to stand were adequate. Students increased standing time in class when provided with standing desks and instructor prompts to stand. Findings can inform the layout of classrooms and when and how to promote standing desks during lectures.

SUBMITTER: Chrisman MS

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8122831 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:PurposeThis quasi-experimental study examined the impact of height-adjustable desks in combination with prompts to break up prolonged sitting time during class time and identified social and motivational factors associated with breaking up sitting time among adolescents. Teachers' perceptions of strategies were also examined.MethodsOver 17 weeks, 1 classroom in a government secondary school in Melbourne, Australia, was equipped with 27 height-adjustable desks and prompts (posters and desk stickers) to break up classroom sitting time. Teachers received professional development in the use of the desks and prompts. One group of adolescents (n = 55) had 2-5 lessons/week using the height-adjustable desks in an intervention classroom, and a comparison group matched by year level and subject (n = 50) was taught in traditional "seated" classrooms. Adolescents wore an activPAL monitor at baseline (T0), 4 weeks (T1), and 17 weeks (T2) and completed a survey at T0 and T2. Six teachers participated in interviews at T2. Effect sizes were calculated (d).ResultsLinear mixed models found that, compared to the traditional "seated" classrooms, the adolescents in the intervention classroom had significantly lower sitting time (T1: -9.7 min/lesson, d = -0.96; T2: -6.7 min/lesson, d = -0.70) and time spent in sitting bouts >15 min (T2: -11.2 min/lesson, d = -0.62), and had significantly higher standing time (T1: 7.3 min/lesson, d = 0.84; T2: 5.8 min/lesson, d = 0.91), number of breaks from sitting (T1: 1.3 breaks/lesson, d = 0.49; T2: 1.8 breaks/lesson, d = 0.67), and stepping time (T1: 2.5 min/lesson, d = 0.66). Intervention classroom adolescents reported greater habit strength (d = 0.58), self-efficacy for breaking up sitting time (d = 0.75), and indicated that having a teacher/classmate remind them to stand as helpful (d = 0.50).ConclusionThis intervention shows promise for targeting sitting behaviors in the classroom and indicates that incorporating social and motivational strategies may further enhance outcomes.

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College Classroom Instructors Can Effectively Promote Standing among Students Provided with Standing Desks.

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