Stand Out in Class: Reducing Sitting Time in the Classroom Environment (SOIC2)

The primary aim of this study is to examine the effectiveness of incorporating manually adjustable sit-stand desks in the classroom environment of 9-10 year olds in reducing sedentary behaviour at school during a full school year. Secondary aims include evaluating the effects of the intervention on health and learning outcomes as well as comparing the impact of full classroom allocation of sit-stand desks to a classroom of partial sit-stand desk allocation.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Obesity; Physical Activity; Child Behavior; Sedentary Behavior; Health Behavior
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: Ergotron LearnFit Sit-Stand desk

Detailed Description

Rates of overweight and obesity and related chronic disease risk factors in children have increased worldwide over the past decades. Whilst it is widely acknowledged that regular physical activity provides health benefits, prolonged sedentary behaviour (sitting or reclining) has been shown to adversely affect children's health, independent of the child's physical activity levels. Adverse associations between sedentary behaviour and risk factors for disease, such as obesity, blood pressure, and high levels of cholesterol have been observed in children. In addition, prolonged sedentary behaviour has been linked to reduced cognitive development and academic achievement in children.

Changes in our environment and lifestyle have resulted in children not only becoming less physically active, but also spending unnecessarily long periods of time sitting, particularly in the classroom. Sedentary behaviour is the most prevalent behaviour exhibited by children in developed countries, comprising >65% of waking hours. The impact of unhealthy lifestyle behaviours, such as prolonged sitting, on children's health and development is concerning given the importance of childhood for the establishment of lifestyle behaviours that can track into adulthood.

The long term vision of our research is to re-address the balance between sedentary and non-sedentary (i.e. standing and all forms of physical activity) behaviours by changing environments which are traditionally associated with prolonged periods of sedentary behaviour, such as the school classroom. This study will make environmental changes to the classrooms of Year 5 students (aged 9-10 years) from one school in Bradford, in the UK, through the provision of manually adjustable sit-stand workstations. The primary aim is to compare the effects of this novel strategy using both full desk allocation (one per child) in one classroom and partial desk allocation (six standing desks in a class along with standard desks) in a second classroom on children's classroom sitting and standing time. Comparisons will also be made between the two intervention classrooms in the one school to children's sitting and standing behaviour measured in a control school (following usual practice). Secondary aims include evaluating the effects of the two interventions on time spent in different intensities of physical activity, health, learning and cognitive function outcomes.

This study expands on the success of the nine week pilot study, conducted in 2014, by implementing the intervention over a full academic year, having an additional intervention group, including an extra school for a control group, and including more key outcome measures (blood glucose, self-reported comfort) to better understand the impact of sit-stand desks. If successful this study will support the concept of sit-stand desks as an effective long term school based intervention for benefits in health and learning in children across all demographics

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 90
• Phase: Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 9 years to 10 years (CHILD)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

-

Exclusion Criteria:

• Any child with any disabilities that prevent them from standing up for short periods of time will be requested to continue with their usual practice of sitting at their school desk.
• Children with any disabilities or injuries/illnesses that prevent them from going about their usual routine will be excluded from the evaluation component of the intervention

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: PREVENTION
• Allocation: NON_RANDOMIZED
• Interventional Model: PARALLEL
• Masking: NONE

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
EXPERIMENTAL: Full desk allocation; All children within this classroom received a sit-stand stand	Device: Ergotron LearnFit Sit-Stand desk; An adjustable sit-stand desk design for children
EXPERIMENTAL: Partial desk allocation; six sit-stand desks were provided in this classroom. Children were rotated between these desks and traditional desks	Device: Ergotron LearnFit Sit-Stand desk; An adjustable sit-stand desk design for children
NO_INTERVENTION: Control; Traditional classroom furniture was used

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Sitting time (mins)	Change in time spent sitting using activPAL inclinometer device	7 days at baseline, 4 months, 8 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Standing time (mins)	Change in time spent standing using activPAL inclinometer device	7 days at baseline, 4 months, 8 months
Stepping time (mins)	Change in time spent stepping using activPAL inclinometer device	7 days at baseline, 4 months, 8 months
Steps	Change in Steps using activPAL inclinometer device	7 days at baseline, 4 months, 8 months
Sit to stand transitions	Change in Sit to stand transitions using activPAL inclinometer device	7 days at baseline, 4 months, 8 months
Total acceleration per minute	Change in Counts per minute using ActiGraph accelerometer device	7 days at baseline, 4 months, 8 months
Light physical activity (mins)	Change in Time spent in Light physical activity (mins) using ActiGraph accelerometer device	7 days at baseline, 4 months, 8 months
Moderate physical activity (mins)	Change in Time spent in Moderate physical activity using ActiGraph accelerometer device	7 days at baseline, 4 months, 8 months
Vigorous physical activity (mins)	Change in Time spent in vigorous physical activity using ActiGraph accelerometer device	7 days at baseline, 4 months, 8 months
Resting Systolic blood pressure (mmHg)	Change in Resting systolic blood pressure using automated Omron device	7 days at baseline, 4 months, 8 months
Resting diastolic blood pressure (mmHg)	Change in Resting diastolic blood pressure using automated Omron device	7 days at baseline, 4 months, 8 months
Height (m)	Change in height measured with portable Stadiometer	7 days at baseline, 4 months, 8 months
Weight (kg)	Change in weight measured with electronic weighing scales	7 days at baseline, 4 months, 8 months
Body Mass index (kg/m2)	Change in BMI calculated from height and weight measures	7 days at baseline, 4 months, 8 months
waist circumference (cm)	Change in waist circumference measured using anthropometry tape	7 days at baseline, 4 months, 8 months
Stroop test	Change in Computer based cognitive function test lasting 5 mins	7 days at baseline, 4 months, 8 months
Corsi block tapping test	Change in Computer based cognitive function test lasting 5 mins	7 days at baseline, 4 months, 8 months
Rapid visual information processing test	Change in Computer based cognitive function test lasting 5 mins	7 days at baseline, 4 months, 8 months
musculoskeletal discomfort	Change in discomfort using a self-report paper-based survey of 7 body parts. scale of 1-5, 1 is good, 5 is bad	7 days at baseline, 4 months, 8 months
Behaviour related mental health	Change in behaviour measured with a teacher completed 25 item Strengths and Difficulties questionnaire. each item is scored either "not true", "somewhat true" or "certainly true"	7 days at baseline, 4 months, 8 months

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Standing class fidelity	sitting and standing behaviour recorded via direct observation by researcher	30 minutes at 4 months
Experiences of using standing desks	focus groups with pupils exploring barriers and facilitators to sitting, standing and learning in the classroom	30 mins at 4 months
Experiences of teaching with standing desks	Interviews with teachers exploring barriers and facilitators to sitting, standing and teaching in the classroom	60 mins at 4 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Loughborough University
• Collaborators: Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Stacy A Clemes, PhD, Loughborough University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Sherry AP, Pearson N, Ridgers ND, Barber SE, Bingham DD, Nagy LC, Clemes SA. activPAL-measured sitting levels and patterns in 9-10 years old children from a UK city. J Public Health (Oxf). 2019 Dec 20;41(4):757-764. doi: 10.1093/pubmed/fdy181.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (ACTUAL): August 20, 2015
• Primary Completion (ACTUAL): July 15, 2016
• Study Completion (ACTUAL): July 15, 2016

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 24, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 3, 2020
• First Posted (ACTUAL): March 5, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (ACTUAL): March 5, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 3, 2020
• Last Verified: March 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: R15-P086

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No