The effect of a wearable device prompting high school students aged 17-18 years to break up periods of prolonged sitting in class

Abstract

Background: Increasingly, evidence shows that prolonged sedentary behavior factors into the health equation on its own, unrelated to weight and periods of intense exercise. In schools, students are required to sit for long periods of time.

Objective: To investigate whether reminders (via a wearable device) to change posture, can change students' behavior and impact their subjective wellbeing.

Participants: Ten students of ages 17 to 18 years at a public high school in Bellevue, Washington, USA.

Methods: To monitor students' behaviors, specially designed wearable devices recorded periods of sitting, standing and moving of participants throughout the school day for one week. During the second week of the study session, reminders were given via the devices providing vibration feedback after 20 minutes of uninterrupted sitting. Subjective wellbeing was evaluated through a daily questionnaire.

Results: The reminders given by the devices were effective in changing students' behavior. Students took significantly more breaks from sitting during the week with reminders. However, changes in subjective well-being were inconclusive.

Conclusion: The reminders were effective in changing students' behavior, demonstrating that behavior can be changed through individual feedback. Further study is required to explore benefits of such breaks on students' subjective wellbeing, but other studies suggest that such breaks improve their physical health.

Keywords: Measuring posture; individual feedback; recording sitting time; reducing sedentary behavior.