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Objectively Measured Sedentary Levels and Bouts by Day Type in Australian Young Children
Insights
Children spend more time sedentary on non-childcare days and weekends. Interventions to reduce sedentary time should focus on these periods for toddlers and preschoolers.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric health
- Behavioral science
- Public health
Background:
- Sedentary behavior is a growing concern in early childhood.
- Understanding sedentary time patterns across different day types is crucial for targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate differences in sedentary time and sedentary bouts between childcare days, non-childcare weekdays, and weekends.
- To compare sedentary behavior in Australian toddlers and preschoolers.
Main Methods:
- Objective assessment of sedentary time and bouts using ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometers.
- Analysis of data from 264 toddlers and 343 preschoolers.
- Statistical comparison using linear mixed models.
Main Results:
- Toddlers and preschoolers exhibited higher percentages of sedentary time on non-childcare days compared to childcare days.
- Preschoolers also showed higher sedentary time on weekends versus childcare days.
- Increased frequency of short sedentary bouts (1-30 minutes) was observed on non-childcare days and weekends for preschoolers.
Conclusions:
- Childcare settings appear to reduce overall sedentary time and bouts in young children.
- Interventions aimed at decreasing sedentary behavior should prioritize non-childcare days and weekends.
- Further research may explore specific activities during non-childcare periods to inform effective strategies.
Background:
This study aimed to understand whether a higher number of sedentary bouts (SED bouts) and higher levels of sedentary time (SED time) occur according to different day types (childcare days, nonchildcare weekdays, and weekends) in Australian toddlers (1-2.99 y) and preschoolers (3-5.99 y).
Methods:
The SED time and bouts were assessed using ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometers. The sample was composed of 264 toddlers and 343 preschoolers. The SED bouts and time differences were calculated using linear mixed models.
Results:
The toddlers' percentage of SED time was higher on nonchildcare days compared with childcare days (mean difference [MD] = 2.3; 95% confidence interval, 0.7 to 3.9). The toddlers had a higher number of 1- to 4-minute SED bouts on nonchildcare days compared with childcare days. The preschoolers presented higher percentages of SED time during nonchildcare days (MD = 3.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.6 to 4.5) and weekends (MD = 1.9; 95% confidence interval, 0.4 to 3.4) compared with childcare days. The preschoolers presented a higher number of SED bouts (1-4, 5-9, 10-19, and 20-30 min) during nonchildcare days and weekends compared with childcare days. No SED times or bout differences were found between nonchildcare days and weekends, neither SED bouts >30 minutes on toddlers nor on preschoolers.
Conclusion:
The SED time and bouts seem to be lower during childcare periods, which means that interventions to reduce sedentary time should consider targeting nonchildcare days and weekends.
