NCT03163004

Brief Summary

Since sedentary time is related to various health outcomes and is already highly prevalent in childhood and adolescence, effective strategies are needed to tackle this health problem. Children and adolescents spend the majority of the day in a classroom while sitting at a desk. Therefore, the classroom is an important setting for implementing specific strategies to reduce sedentary time. One of the strategies that gained more attention during the past years is replacing traditional desks and chairs with standing desks. This project evaluates the implementation of standing desks in primary and secondary schools via a clustered randomized controlled trial using an intervention and control condition. Effects on sedentary time during in class, sedentary activities during leisure time, breaks in sedentary time, and related determinants (secondary outcomes) are evaluated. Next to effect evaluation, it is also equally important to evaluate how teachers and pupils perceive this change in the classroom environment. Both groups need to be positive in order to obtain the adoption and sustainability. Therefore, focus groups with pupils and interviews with teachers are conducted, with a specific focus on the perceived barriers. Moreover, the process evaluation is conducted quantitatively as well by using questionnaires in pupils and teachers. The project results will lead to recommendations on how to broadly implement standing desks into primary and secondary schools.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
343

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for not_applicable

Timeline
Completed

Started Oct 2016

Shorter than P25 for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Start

First participant enrolled

October 1, 2016

Completed
8 months until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

May 17, 2017

Completed
5 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

May 22, 2017

Completed
1 month until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

June 30, 2017

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

June 30, 2017

Completed
Last Updated

October 24, 2017

Status Verified

October 1, 2017

Enrollment Period

9 months

First QC Date

May 17, 2017

Last Update Submit

October 20, 2017

Conditions

Health Behavior

Keywords

Sedentary behavior

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Decrease in children's sedentary time during school hours

    In the questionnaire, following item was used to subjectively assess the outcome: 'On average how many hours do you spent sedentary in class?' Answer categories ranged from 'None' to 'More than 7 hours per day'. In addition, a subsample wore an ActivPAL inclinometer to objectively measure sedentary time. This thigh-worn device uses accelerometer-derived information about thigh position to calculate the outcome.

    One schoolyear

Secondary Outcomes (5)

  • Possible decrease in TV time on week- and weekend days

    One schoolyear

  • Possible decrease in computer time on week- and weekend days

    One schoolyear

  • Increase in the number of breaks in sedentary activities

    One schoolyear

  • Improvement of determinants related to breaking up sedentary activities

    One schoolyear

  • Improvement in school well-being

    One schoolyear

Study Arms (2)

Intervention group

EXPERIMENTAL

Implementation of standing desks in the classroom

Behavioral: Implementation of standing desks

Control group

NO INTERVENTION

Interventions

Implementation of standing desksBEHAVIORAL

Three standing desks will be introduced to the classroom

Intervention group

Eligibility Criteria

Age9 Years - 18 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersYes
Age GroupsChild (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

  • Healthy pupils of primary schools (5th grade) and secondary schools (10th grade)

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Ghent University, Department of Movement and Sports Sciences

Ghent, Belgium

Location

Related Publications (2)

  • Neil-Sztramko SE, Caldwell H, Dobbins M. School-based physical activity programs for promoting physical activity and fitness in children and adolescents aged 6 to 18. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021 Sep 23;9(9):CD007651. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD007651.pub3.

    PMID: 34555181DERIVED

  • Verloigne M, Ridgers ND, De Bourdeaudhuij I, Cardon G. Effect and process evaluation of implementing standing desks in primary and secondary schools in Belgium: a cluster-randomised controlled trial. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2018 Sep 27;15(1):94. doi: 10.1186/s12966-018-0726-9.

    PMID: 30261883DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Health BehaviorSedentary Behavior

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
NON RANDOMIZED
Masking
NONE
Purpose
PREVENTION
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Model Details: One intervention and one control condition
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Prof. Dr. Greet Cardon

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

May 17, 2017

First Posted

May 22, 2017

Study Start

October 1, 2016

Primary Completion

June 30, 2017

Study Completion

June 30, 2017

Last Updated

October 24, 2017

Record last verified: 2017-10

Locations

BE(1)