Pilot Study of Active Desk in Primary School : Effects on Cognitive Capacities, Physical Capacities and Well-being

Plain-language summary

Physical activity (PA) is insufficient in children with three quarters of them who do not meet the WHO's recommendations. Physical inactivity is growing during adolescence; in part due to the time spend in sedentary behaviors at school. The recent literature is highlighting the importance of physical activity on academic achievement, physical fitness and academic achievement in children. In addition, deleterious effects of sedentary behaviors have been demonstrated. At school, many strategies have been settled to break the prolonged sitting time. The use of workstations is one of them and allows to reduce sedentary time at school and increases physical activity without interrupting class. Active workstations like bike desks have demonstrated their effectiveness on physical activity but their effects have not been evaluated in primary school in France. In addition, few studies have evaluated the effects of bike desk use on the child's cognitive abilities. The main objective of this project is to measure the variations linked to the use of bike desks (desk with pedals) for an average of 1h45mn per week (30min 3 to 4 times per week) for 13 weeks during school time in primary school pupils (aged 8 to 11 years) on the cognitive abilities (mental flexibility, working memory and inhibition) of children. Our hypothesis is that the use of the bike desk for 1h45 per week will induce an increase in the attention and cognitive capacities (mental flexibility, working memory and inhibition) of the children. Other improvements that should be identified are the child's body composition, the classroom climate and the well-being of pupils and teachers. The children's physical capacities could also be increased, beyond what is expected given the normal evolution during the year.

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