Classroom Standing Desks and Time-Series Variation in Sedentary Behavior and Physical Activity among Primary School Children

Background: This systematic review determines the levels of physical activity (PA) during school hours in children and adolescents. Methods: Studies carried out from January 1987 to December 2019 were retrieved from four databases (Web of Science, Pubmed, Scopus and SportDiscus). Results: Twenty-nine studies were included in this systematic review. Most of them used accelerometers and showed that male and female children accumulated a mean of between 14 and 68 min of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) during school hours (3–22% of this daily segment), and male and female adolescents accumulated a mean of between 13 and 28 min of MVPA during this daily segment (3–8% of the school hours). Less than a quarter of children and adolescents reached the recommended 30 min of MVPA during school hours, with notable differences between sexes. Conclusions: These results suggest that the levels of PA during school hours are not enough, and consequently, schools should develop strategies for helping children and adolescents reach the school PA recommendation.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Levels of Physical Activity during School Hours in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review

Grao‐Cruces

Velásquez-Romero

Rodríguez‐Rodríguez

2020

“…Physical activity and sedentary behavior patterns were ascertained by calculating the time spent in each activity per hour. For example, activity at 7:00 a.m. was ascertained by calculating the time spent in activities between 6:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. [29]. At the participating school in Kenya, the students were at the institution from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (normal Kenyan public-school hours), which included three breaks (9.30 a.m. to 9.50 a.m., 11.00 a.m. to 11.30 a.m., and 12:40 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Patterns among Kenyan and Japanese Children: A Comprehensive Cross-Country Comparison

Kidokoro

Fuku

Yanagiya

et al. 2020

Self Cite

Health benefits of physical activity are well known, yet available physical activity data is limited from children living in African and Asian countries. The purpose of the cross-sectional study was to evaluate and compare physical activity and sedentary behavior patterns, particularly hourly variations, among children in Kenya and Japan. Participants included 298 primary school students (122 Kenyan, 176 Japanese) aged 9–12 years. Physical activity and sedentary behavior were measured with accelerometers. Domain-specific physical activity, screen time, and proportion of children using active transport to school were measured by questionnaire. A two-way ANOVA (countries × time) was used to examine the differences in the activity patterns between Kenyan and Japanese children. The results from the present study demonstrated that Kenyan children spent more time in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity compared to Japanese children (p < 0.05) with the greatest differences found for weekday evenings (for boys and girls) and weekend afternoons (for girls). This suggests that these were ‘critical periods’ to differentiate the physical activity levels between Kenyan and Japanese children. However, a higher proportion of the children from Japan used active transport to school and spent less time in television viewing and computer gaming. The results suggest that both countries have successes and challenges that can aid in developing effective and country-specific intervention strategies for promoting physical activity.

“…Slovenian teachers who already use standing desks in the classroom stated that it is feasible to use standing desks for 40 min a day. Accordingly, studies have shown that standing desks can be used between 20 and 60 min per school day [ 8 , 31 ]. Slovenian teachers stated that the use of standing desks is not suitable for all school subjects, especially mathematics.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Using standing desks is also associated with lower musculoskeletal discomfort, especially in the neck, shoulders, and lower back (OR 0.52–0.74), when compared to a sitting-only condition [ 13 ]. Additionally, children agreed that it is easier to work using a standing desk, and evaluated standing desks as a positive change in the classroom environment [ 8 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Performing classroom physical activity breaks (CPABs) might also influence children’s activity levels in school. An increase of six minutes of MVPA during class was observed among children performing CPABs [ 8 ]. Children performing CPABs in the classroom were more likely to reach 30 min of MVPA when in school compared to children not performing activity breaks (OR 1.75, 95% CI = 1.22, 2.25, p = 0.002) [ 27 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Teachers’ Perspective on Strategies to Reduce Sedentary Behavior in Educational Institutions

Podrekar

Kastelic

Šarabon

2020

Standing desks and physical activity breaks can counteract the negative consequences of sedentarism at school. However, the implementation of these strategies should not restrict the pedagogical process. The aim of this study was to assess teachers’ perspectives on strategies to reduce sedentary behavior (SB) of students in the classroom. An online survey was conducted, and the answers were analyzed using descriptive statistics and frequency distribution. The relationships between the variables were assessed using Spearman’s coefficient and a chi-square test. Most teachers believed that a student–furniture mismatch was present. The most common reasons given for not using standing desks were concerns about desks being uncommon and their potential to disrupt the class. However, the majority of the teachers believed it feasible to perform physical activity (PA) breaks during classes. Further intervention studies are needed to determine for which courses the use of standing desks are feasible, for what time periods standing desks should be used, and the appropriate number and layout of standing desks in classrooms.