Stand up, stand out. Feasibility of an active break targeting prolonged sitting in university students

Abstract

<b>Objective</b>To assess the acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of an active break designed to disrupt prolonged sitting in university students. <b>Participants</b>: Students attending lectures in Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. <b>Methods:</b> Participants took part in an active break, which consisted of following a short exercise video lasting ∼4 min. They then completed a validated questionnaire consisting of 12 statements with two open-ended questions capturing likes/dislikes. <b>Results:</b> Overall 106 (response rate 96%) predominately female (83%, <i>n</i> = 87), health sciences students (91%, <i>n</i> = 96) participated. Percentage agreement ranged from 93.4% (<i>n</i> = 99) to 96.2% (<i>n</i> = 102) for acceptability, 84.9% (<i>n</i> = 90) to 93.4% (<i>n</i> = 99) for appropriateness, and 80.2% (<i>n</i> = 85) to 96.2% (<i>n</i> = 102) for feasibility. Space constraints and warm temperatures impacted negatively. <b>Conclusion:</b> An active break delivered during lectures is an acceptable and feasible intervention to disrupt sitting in students. Further investigation using a broader representation of the university population is needed prior to implementation.