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Objectively measured physical activity patterns, sedentary time and parent-reported screen-time across the day in
Daniel Berglind1, Per Tynelius2
1Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Tomtebodavägen 18A, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden. Daniel.Berglind@ki.se.
Insights
Four-year-old Swedish children exceed screen-time guidelines, with boys being more active and less sedentary than girls. Weekdays are more active than weekend days, especially during preschool hours.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Child Development
- Physical Activity Research
Background:
- Accumulating evidence links sedentary time (ST), particularly screen-time, to negative health outcomes in children.
- Physical activity (PA) is crucial for improving child health outcomes.
- Understanding activity patterns in early childhood is vital for public health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe physical activity (PA) and sedentary time (ST) levels and patterns in four-year-old children.
- To analyze differences in activity patterns between sexes and across weekdays/weekend days.
- To compare activity levels during preschool versus outside preschool hours.
Main Methods:
- Included 899 Swedish four-year-olds with objective accelerometer data (≥10h/day for ≥4 days) and screen-time questionnaires.
- Assessed patterns of PA and ST across the day and week.
- Compared activity differences by sex, weekdays vs. weekend days, and preschool vs. outside preschool time.
Main Results:
- Children exceeded recommended screen-time limits: 97% on weekend days and 86% on weekdays surpassed 1 hour.
- Boys were more active and less sedentary than girls, contradicting higher reported screen-time in boys.
- Both sexes were more active on weekdays than weekend days, with preschool hours being the most active segments on weekdays.
Conclusions:
- Four-year-old children exhibit distinct activity patterns between weekdays and weekend days.
- Preschool hours on weekdays represent the most active periods for young children.
- Activity levels and sedentary behaviors vary significantly by sex and day type.
Background:
Physical activity (PA) improves health outcomes accumulating evidence suggests that sedentary time (ST), especially parent-reported screen-time, is associated with negative health outcomes in children. The aim of the present study is to describe levels and patterns of PA and ST across the day and week and activity pattern differences between the sexes, across all weekdays and time spent in and outside the preschool in four-year old children.
Methods:
In total 899 four-year old Swedish children who had both complete questionnaire data on screen-time behaviors and objective activity variables and at least 4 days, including one weekend day, with more than 10 h of GT3X+ Actigraph accelerometer wear time data were included in the study. Patterns of PA and ST across the day and week and differences between sexes, weekdays vs. weekend days and time in preschool vs. time spent outside preschool were assessed.
Results:
Children engaged in 150 min (SD 73) and 102 min (SD 60) of screen-time on weekend days and weekdays, with 97% and 86% of children exceeding the 1 h guideline for screen-time on weekend days and weekdays, respectively. Accelerometer data showed that boys are more active and less sedentary compared with girls and both sexes were more active and less sedentary on weekdays compared with weekend days, while parent-reported data showed that boys engage in more screen-time compared with girls. Children accumulated 24.8 min (SD. 19) MVPA during preschool time and 26.6 min (SD. 16) outside preschool hours on weekdays, compared with 22.4 min (SD. 18) MVPA during preschool time and 25.3 min (SD. 22) outside preschool hours on weekend days.
Conclusions:
Four-year old Swedish children display different activity patterns across the day on weekdays compared to weekend days, with preschool hours during weekdays being the most active segments and preschool hours during weekend days being the least active segments of the day.
