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Shear-wave electrography (SWE) is a method used to assess tissue elasticity. Recently, it has been used to assess muscle stiffness, but the reliability of SWE for this purpose has not been thoroughly investigated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the repeatability and reproducibility of SWE on porcine meat specimens and the human biceps femoris muscle. Measurements on meat specimens (n = 20) were performed by three raters and with a custom-built device that allowed constant application force. Measurements on human participants (n = 20) were performed by two raters in relaxed and stretched muscle positions on two visits. Most aspects of repeatability and reproducibility were good or high, with intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) values above 0.70. Minimal detectable changes were lower in a relaxed (6-10%) than stretched (15-16%) muscle position. In conclusion, SWE is a reliable tool for assessing muscle stiffness if the muscle is examined in relaxed condition, while changing the force applied with the probe for as little as 1.5 N results in significantly lower repeatability.

Studies indicate that natural wooden materials positively affect students’ well-being in classrooms. In addition, students spend a considerable amount of their time in classrooms predominantly seated, making school interiors a suitable place to reduce sedentary behaviors of children. A mixed team of experts in human factors, architecture, design and engineering designed a prototype wooden standing desk for indoor use and formed focus groups with students and teachers to gather feedback on the development process and to evaluate the suitability of the prototype. The prototype desk was well received by the primary school teachers and students. The students appreciated plywood as the main material for the construction of the desk; however, they criticized that the wooden tabletop should be more resistant. The height adjustability of the desk and the tiltable tabletop were the most appreciated features of the prototype. Further studies should be conducted to investigate the optimal material, shape and color of the school desk, especially the tabletop, and additional efforts should be made to design furniture that promotes a less sedentary classroom and improves students’ well-being at school.

Visual and tactile properties of materials can influence human emotional and cognitive functioning. Existing studies indicate that exposure to wood may lead to more favourable outcomes than contact with other common materials, but evidence is limited. We measured affective states and cognitive performance in 16 participants before and after each spent 15 min at 10 desks with differing top surfaces. Desk surfaces were made of untreated, oiled, or lacquered spruce or oak solid wood, laminated or oak-veneered particleboard, glass, and mineral-filled thermoplastic composite. The results indicate that cognitive performance and affective states of participants did not differ between the desk surfaces. It appears that exposure to a relatively small wooden surface does not significantly influence affective and cognitive outcomes. Incorporating larger amounts of wood coverage and a more demanding cognitive task would probably increase the chances of capturing the potential effects of wood exposure on human affective states and cognitive performance.

Students spend a considerable amount of time in school. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain and the association between the pain and suitability of school furniture and daily activities among primary school and university students. A total of 238 primary and university students participated in the study. The adapted Nordic questionnaire was used to assess pain prevalence, the BackPEI questionnaire was used to assess school-related factors, and student furniture mismatch calculations were performed to determine the anthropometric suitability of school furniture. Most students did not have a proper body posture while sitting, did not lift objects properly, and used TV and computer frequently. A high student-furniture mismatch was found for seat and desk height. The neck, lower back, shoulders, and upper back were the most affected body parts. Our study confirmed that musculoskeletal pain occurs in primary school students and increases with age, especially lower back pain. Proper backpack wearing was found to be an important factor in alleviating neck pain. Students who sat or lifted objects properly were more likely to report upper back pain, and students whose backrest height was appropriate were more likely to report lower back pain. Further efforts should be made to establish a comparable study protocol using objective methods to obtain more valid and reliable data to study school-related risk factors for musculoskeletal pain in students using prospective study protocols.

Abstract Purpose Police officers (PO) are exposed to several health-related risk factors including shift work, extended work schedules, dangerous, and traumatic events. Although police work is often seen as active, PO spend the majority of worktime sitting in offices or driving cars. The prevalence of sedentary behaviour (SB) and physical activity (PA) among Slovenian PO is obscure. Therefore, the aim of this project was to assess the level of PA and SB among Slovenian PO and to design a health promotion programme. Methods The online Sleep, Sedentary Behaviour and Physical Activity Questionnaire (DABQ) was sent via e-mail to 1,500 members of the police union. 480 PO (age 46.8 ± 8.1 years, 75% males) completed the questionnaire, out of which 66 PO (age 41.7 ± 7.2 years, 74% males) agreed to participate in the objective assessment of SB and PA and wore activPAL and ActiGraph accelerometers for a period of ten days. Based on the findings the health promotion programme was developed, focusing on reducing SB, promoting PA and emphasizing the importance of workplace ergonomics. It consisted of educational part, workshops and development of a mobile application for enhancing daily PA. Results The results of the questionnaire indicate that 62% of PO achieve World Health Organisation recommendations for weekly PA, 34% perform separate strength and power training. However, PO spent 9.7 ± 3.5 h/day sedentary, out of which 7.4 ± 2.6 h during worktime. Only 7% of PO use active transport. The results of the objective assessment suggest that the prevalence of SB among PO is 10.5 ± 1.5 h/day, time spent in low-intensity PA 4.9 ± 1.2 h/day and 1.3 ± 0.5 h/day in moderate to vigorous PA. The health promotion programme that followed the assessments was very well received among PO. Conclusions The results suggest high levels of SB among Slovenian PO, especially during worktime. On the other hand, more than half of PO meet current recommendations for weekly PA. Based on the results and feedback from the participating PO, the implementation of health promotion programmes in police forces is strongly recommended on national level.

Standing desks and physical activity breaks can counteract the negative consequences of sedentarism at school. However, the implementation of these strategies should not restrict the pedagogical process. The aim of this study was to assess teachers’ perspectives on strategies to reduce sedentary behavior (SB) of students in the classroom. An online survey was conducted, and the answers were analyzed using descriptive statistics and frequency distribution. The relationships between the variables were assessed using Spearman’s coefficient and a chi-square test. Most teachers believed that a student–furniture mismatch was present. The most common reasons given for not using standing desks were concerns about desks being uncommon and their potential to disrupt the class. However, the majority of the teachers believed it feasible to perform physical activity (PA) breaks during classes. Further intervention studies are needed to determine for which courses the use of standing desks are feasible, for what time periods standing desks should be used, and the appropriate number and layout of standing desks in classrooms.

Background Back pain is the most common musculoskeletal symptom. Several risk/protective factors, including sedentary behaviour, physical activity and sleep, have been proposed. Research has typically examined these time-use behaviours in isolation, ignoring the compositional nature of time-use data. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between a 24-hour activity composition and back pain in university students using compositional isotemporal substitution modelling. Methods A cross-sectional study of 135 Slovenian university students (20 ± 2 years, 70% male) assessed 24-hour time use and back pain. Volunteers completed the SIMPAQ questionnaire (asking about the activity time divided into three categories: sedentary, in bed, and physical activity) and the BackPEI questionnaire (asking about back pain in the past 3 months). The compositional isotemporal substitution analysis based on a logistic regression model was used to examine the association between the activity composition and the occurrence of back pain. The compositional isotemporal substitution analysis based on a linear regression model was used to examine the association between the activity composition and back pain intensity, for those that experienced it. Both models were adjusted for age, sex and BMI. Results The prevalence of back pain in the past 3 months was 62%. The 24-hour activity composition was associated with back pain intensity in the symptomatic subgroup, while no associations with the occurrence of back pain was found. Reallocation of 30 minutes from sedentary behaviour to physical activity was associated with a mean reduction of back pain intensity by 0.1 (95% CI: 0.01 to 0.201) on a continuous 10-point Visual Analog Scale. Likewise, the opposite reallocation was associated with an increase of back pain intensity by 0.1 (95% CI: 0.003 to 0.21). No significant associations with the intensity of back pain were found for reallocations of 30 minutes to and from bed time. Conclusion Study findings indicate that reallocating time from sedentary behaviour to physical activity has a favourable association with back pain intensity. However, the effect size was relatively small and findings need to be interpreted with caution. Further studies including more precise measures of exposure and with larger sample sizes are warranted