Study Links Standing Classroom Desks To Weight Loss In Children

KYW's Medical Reports Sponsored By Independence Blue Cross

By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Several major studies have found that students spend more than half the school day sitting. This puts them at greater risk for obesity, heart disease, and poor classroom performance.

Certainly recess and physical education can help, but there may be another helpful tool: standing desks. The researchers reviewed eight studies involving first through sixth graders using elevated working surfaces.

Those students reduced their time spent sitting by about an hour.

According to results published in the journal pediatrics fourth graders burned an extra 32 calories per hour, which could lead to significant weight loss over time.