The Evaluation of the Impact of a Stand-Biased Desk on Energy Expenditure and Physical Activity for Elementary School Students

Mark E. Benden, Hongwei Zhao, Christina E. Jeffrey, Monica L. Wendel and Jamilia J. Blake
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Mark E. Benden: School of Public Health, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, 1266 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USA
Hongwei Zhao: School of Public Health, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, 1266 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USA
Christina E. Jeffrey: School of Public Health, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, 1266 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USA
Monica L. Wendel: School of Public Health, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, 1266 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USA
Jamilia J. Blake: Department of Educational Psychology, Texas A&M University, 4225 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USA

IJERPH, 2014, vol. 11, issue 9, 1-15

Abstract: Due to the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity, the association between classroom furniture and energy expenditure as well as physical activity was examined using a standing-desk intervention in three central-Texas elementary schools. Of the 480 students in the 24 classrooms randomly assigned to either a seated or stand-biased desk equipped classroom, 374 agreed to participate in a week-long data collection during the fall and spring semesters. Each participant’s data was collected using Sensewear ® armbands and was comprised of measures of energy expenditure (EE) and step count. A hierarchical linear mixed effects model showed that children in seated desk classrooms had significantly lower (EE) and fewer steps during the standardized lecture time than children in stand-biased classrooms after adjusting for grade, race, and gender. The use of a standing desk showed a significant higher mean energy expenditure by 0.16 kcal/min ( p < 0.0001) in the fall semester, and a higher EE by 0.08 kcal/min ( p = 0.0092) in the spring semester.

Keywords: child obesity; school-based intervention; behavior; standing desk (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

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