How to make you stand up: the sit-stand desk

At EDLAB, we are encouraging students and staff to work in a more dynamic way. The Education That Moves You project has introduced standing tutorials throughout the university that will not only make you more active but will also affect your health for the better.

Sit-Stand Desks

With the integration of technology, sit-stand desks are making their way into the market, allowing us to adjust the desk's height with a simple push of a button. These straightforward operations enable us to not only change our sitting times but also to transform our overall behaviour related to our sitting habits. Research has demonstrated that sit-stand desks can increase standing time by over 77 minutes during an 8-hour workday without any adverse impact on work performance.

Changing Times

While sit-stand desks themselves already reduce sedentary time, it has been shown that to significantly increase standing, interventions must be planned to encourage position changes. One effective method involves using software that adjusts the desk's height according to a predetermined schedule. The software will send a message, asking whether the user agrees with the change or would like to be reminded at a later time.

Education

Despite the increasing coverage in the media regarding the risks of prolonged sitting, these risks are still relatively unknown to many. Introducing standing work should, therefore, be accompanied by education on the benefits and the correct methods of standing. The need for education becomes especially evident when considering that sit-stand desks work significantly better among researchers in the field. This demonstrates that a mere introduction is not enough; reducing sitting times requires a genuine attitude change.

Go to EDLAB's Education That Moves You project page.