Clinical Trial

. 2019 Sep 25;16(19):3590.

doi: 10.3390/ijerph16193590.

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

Sharon Parry¹, Beatriz Ir de Oliveira², Joanne A McVeigh^{3

4}, Joyln Ee⁵, Angela Jacques⁶, Leon Straker⁷

Affiliations

¹ School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley, Perth WA 6102, Australia. Sharon.Parry@curtin.edu.au.
² School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley, Perth WA 6102, Australia. Beatriz.Oliveira@curtin.edu.au.
³ School of Occupational Therapy, Curtin University, Speech Therapy and Social Work, Kent Street, Bentley, Perth WA 6102, Australia. Joanne.Mcveigh@curtin.edu.au.
⁴ Movement Science Laboratory, School of Physiology, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Gauteng 2188, South Africa. Joanne.Mcveigh@curtin.edu.au.
⁵ School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley, Perth WA 6102, Australia. s.ee3@graduate.curtin.edu.au.
⁶ School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley, Perth WA 6102, Australia. Angela.Jacques@curtin.edu.au.
⁷ School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley, Perth WA 6102, Australia. L.Straker@curtin.edu.au.

PMID: 31557874
PMCID: PMC6801749
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16193590

Clinical Trial

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

Sharon Parry et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019.

. 2019 Sep 25;16(19):3590.

doi: 10.3390/ijerph16193590.

Authors

Sharon Parry¹, Beatriz Ir de Oliveira², Joanne A McVeigh^{3

4}, Joyln Ee⁵, Angela Jacques⁶, Leon Straker⁷

Affiliations

¹ School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley, Perth WA 6102, Australia. Sharon.Parry@curtin.edu.au.
² School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley, Perth WA 6102, Australia. Beatriz.Oliveira@curtin.edu.au.
³ School of Occupational Therapy, Curtin University, Speech Therapy and Social Work, Kent Street, Bentley, Perth WA 6102, Australia. Joanne.Mcveigh@curtin.edu.au.
⁴ Movement Science Laboratory, School of Physiology, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Gauteng 2188, South Africa. Joanne.Mcveigh@curtin.edu.au.
⁵ School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley, Perth WA 6102, Australia. s.ee3@graduate.curtin.edu.au.
⁶ School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley, Perth WA 6102, Australia. Angela.Jacques@curtin.edu.au.
⁷ School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley, Perth WA 6102, Australia. L.Straker@curtin.edu.au.

PMID: 31557874
PMCID: PMC6801749
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16193590

Abstract

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.

Keywords: children; musculoskeletal discomfort; physical activity; school; sedentary behaviour; standing desks.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

**Figure 1**
Study design and participant flow.

**Figure 2**
Sitting and standing time at the start and the end of the school year when using a standing desk and a traditional seated desk (min/school day (SE)).

See this image and copyright information in PMC

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

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

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Conflict of interest statement

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