PositiveMotion, LLC Awarded $1 Million CDC Grant

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Sept. 23, 2013 - PRLog -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded Stand2LearnTM, a division of PositiveMotion, LLC $1 million in a 2 year grant.

The new grant will enable Stand2Learn™, based in College Station, Texas to continue its pursuit to prevent Childhood Obesity throughout the United States with continued research and development.

Established in 2008, PositiveMotion, LLC has developed a stand-biased desk for students to be able to stand or sit in the classroom while learning.  PositiveMotion in partnership with Texas A&M University Health Science Center has compiled data analysis of elementary students from the Phase I portion of the grant.  The Phase II $1 million portion of the grant will enable PositiveMotion to conclude the research on middle and high school students while reducing to practice its next generation of patented desk designs that have been licensed from TAMU.

“The study is designed to see if we can change the sedentary behavior at the schools to make a healthier learning environment.  It is great to see the effect we are having on our local schools,” says Mack Westbrook, President and Principal Investigator at PositiveMotion.  “We are excited to give students the option to stand while at school and hope this encourages healthier living away from school.”

Dr. Mark Benden, associate professor at the EOH Department, School of Rural Public Health at Texas A&M University and director of the Ergonomics Center comments “Stand-biased desks give students the maximum flexibility (they choose to sit or stand at will) and allows for the most movement and postural variety when participating in a learning environment.”

Our research has shown that students benefit physically from the improved mobility and engagement that have direct carry-over impacts to their health and academic performance.  Childhood obesity, the loss of play-time and the cancelation of PE are all of great concern to parents and educators. To date, the debate has been more class time vs. more physical activity, now our students can have more physical activity while in the classroom. It’s truly a win-win for everyone!

The benefits of standing periodically throughout the day include:

·         Increased calorie expenditure of 20% over peers sitting at traditional desks

·         Increased academic engagement

·         Improved mobility

·         Enhanced collaboration between teacher and student

·         Increased alertness

·         Increased core strength

Photo:
https://www.prlog.org/12214828/1