Comparison of Classroom-Based Sedentary Time and Physical Activity in Conventional Classrooms and Open Learning Spaces Among Elementary School Students

Abstract

European children and adolescents spend most of their daily life and especially their school hours being sedentary which may increase their risk for chronic non-communicable diseases later in life. After the curriculum reform of Finnish basic education in 2014, most of the new or renovated comprehensive schools in Finland incorporate open and flexible classroom designs. Their open learning spaces may provide students opportunities to reduce sedentary behavior during school hours. Thus, waist-worn accelerometers were used to assess classroom-based sedentary time (ST), the number of breaks from sedentary time (BST), and physical activity (PA) among cross-sectional samples of 3rd and 5th grade students during two separate academic years in a school that underwent a renovation from conventional classrooms to open learning spaces. The cohort of 5th grade students before renovation had a smaller proportion of ST from total classroom time (56.97 ± 12.24%, n = 42 vs. 67.68 ± 5.61%, n = 28, mean difference = 10.71%-points, 95%CI = −15.65 to−5.77, p < 0.001), a greater number of BST per 60 min of classroom time (7.41 ± 1.16 breaks/h vs. 9.19 ± 1.59 breaks/h, mean difference = −1.78 breaks/h, 95%CI = −2.486 to −1.079, p < 0.001) and a greater proportion of light intensity PA (28.66 ± 9.99% vs. 22.56 ± 4.59%, mean difference = 6.10%, 95%CI = 2.56 to 9.64, p = 0.001) than the 5th grade cohort assessed after renovation. The cohort of 3rd grade student had a greater proportion of moderate-to-vigorous intensity PA (MVPA) after the renovation compared to the cohort assessed before the renovation [Mean Rank (Before) = 27.22, Mean Rank (After) = 37.58, U =524.0, p = 0.033]. Despite the greater ST found in 5th graders, schools with open learning spaces may facilitate BST or MVPA as observed in the 5th and 3rd grade cohorts in open learning spaces compared to the cohorts in conventional classrooms, respectively. Future studies should seek to investigate and develop teacher practices to capitalize the potential of open classrooms to reduce ST, since classroom renovation alone may not be a sufficient intervention as of itself. Longitudinal studies utilizing randomized controlled trials are warranted.

Examining the Link Between Physical Activity and Cognitive Function: A Parallel Mediation Model of Health and Wellbeing Among Adolescents

“…This volume of physical activity is also recommended by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2012) , citing its instrumental influence on obesity prevention. However, as academic pressure encroaches on adolescents’ life, engagement in MPA has rapidly declined while increase in sedentary behavior has been widely observed ( Van Stralen et al, 2014 ; Hartikainen et al, 2021 ). This trend, evidenced in recent literature, is likely to pose detrimental risks to adolescents’ health, wellbeing, and cognitive function ( Corder et al, 2015 ; Hale et al, 2021 ).…”

Associations of Classroom Design and Classroom-Based Physical Activity with Behavioral and Emotional Engagement among Primary School Students

“…Students were physically less active in open learning spaces, which contradicts our hypotheses that open learning spaces should enable more classroom-based physical activity. We have previously observed that open learning spaces were not associated with less sedentary time, while they may facilitate breaks from sedentary time and moderate-tovigorous physical activity [37]. These findings may be related to either challenges in utilizing these novel spaces or barriers for promoting classroom-based physical activity.…”

“…Students did not have an assigned place, such as a designated desk, in the open learning space. The school with open learning spaces was chosen as we have previously conducted a study in same school before and after renovation from conventional classrooms to open learning spaces [37]. In the other two schools, students attended most of their lessons in conventional classrooms with designated desks for each student and one teacher was responsible for teaching a classroom of 20-25 students.…”

Sedentary Patterns and Sit-to-Stand Transitions in Open Learning Spaces and Conventional Classrooms among Primary School Students

“…Despite the expected benefits of open and flexible classrooms, we have previously observed that students' engagement in open learning spaces may involve a surprisingly high proportion of sedentary time but more breaks from sedentary time during lessons compared to conventional classrooms [29,30]. Students have been observed to be sedentary 55-68% of classroom time, which equals 33 to 41 min of sedentary time per 60 min spent in classroom [29,30].…”

“…First permissions were obtained from school principals and teachers, after which students were recruited on a voluntary basis. The school with open learning spaces participated in our previous study [29]. The two schools representing conventional school designs were chosen so that they had similar number of students for both of the grade levels recruited for this study.…”