Can Standing Desks Help Childhood Obesity?
Childhood obesity is a major public health concern, but new research shows something as simple as changing a child’s desk could help them avoid becoming overweight.
We first wrote about a standing desk back in 2011 (A New Trend: The Standing Desk) and again in April of this year (An Affordable Sit-to-Stand Desk). As mentioned in these posts, an increasing number of adults are throwing away their office chairs in favor of standing desks, primarily for health reasons. Perhaps, according to this new research, we should encourage kids to do the same.
A recent study from three schools in Texas shows that if kids are given the opportunity to stand during classroom time, they burn more calories and seem to have a greater attention span. The week-long experiment from the College Station Independent School District in Texas involved 480 students from elementary schools. The kids were provided a sensor that helped record step count and calories expenditure. According to the study, the raised desks helped kids burn 15% more calories than those at sitting desks – 25% for obese children.
As the market for this type of product expands, it will be interesting to see what new players enter this category. If a standing desk can help young students burn more calories and stay more alert, we just might see more schools adopting this platform in the near future. For more on the standing desk, visit FastCo Exist here.
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