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The association between 24-h movement behaviours and adiposity among Australian preschoolers: a compositional data
Marga Decraene1,2, Kar Hau Chong3,4, Ty Stanford5
1Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium. marga.decraene@ugent.be.
Insights
Adequate sleep and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) are linked to adiposity in preschoolers. Reallocating time from sleep or MVPA impacts BMI z-scores, highlighting the importance of balanced 24-hour movement behaviors.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- The relationship between 24-hour movement behaviors (sleep, sedentary behavior, physical activity) and adiposity in preschoolers is not fully understood.
- Understanding these associations is crucial for developing effective public health strategies to combat childhood obesity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the associations between 24-hour movement behaviors and adiposity in preschoolers using compositional data analysis (CoDA).
- To examine how reallocating time between sleep, sedentary behavior, and physical activity influences Body Mass Index (BMI) z-scores in young children.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 169 Australian preschoolers (3-5 years) from the Early Start Baseline Study.
- Employed ActiGraph accelerometers to measure sedentary behavior (SB), light physical activity (LPA), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA).
- Applied CoDA to analyze the relationship between the composition of 24-hour movement behaviors and BMI z-scores.
Main Results:
- The overall composition of 24-hour movement behaviors was significantly associated with BMI z-scores (p=0.002).
- Favorable associations were found for sleep (p=0.025), while moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) showed an unfavorable association (p=0.010) with BMI z-scores.
- Reallocating 10 minutes from sleep or MVPA proportionally to other behaviors resulted in significant differences in BMI z-scores.
Conclusions:
- While increased MVPA is associated with higher BMI z-scores, a balanced distribution of sleep, sedentary time, and physical activity is vital for preschooler health.
- Future research should address methodological limitations, utilize larger/diverse samples, and consider longitudinal designs and other adiposity indicators.
Introduction:
The relationship between 24-h movement behaviours (i.e. sleep, sedentary behaviour and physical activity) and adiposity in preschoolers remains unclear. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the associations between 24-h movement behaviours and adiposity in preschoolers making use of compositional data analysis (CoDA).
Methods:
Australian preschoolers (3-5 years) from the Early Start Baseline Study wore an ActiGraph accelerometer to assess sedentary behaviour (SB), light physical activity (LPA) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Their weight and height were measured using standardized protocols and converted to Body Mass Index (BMI) z-scores using the World Health Organisation growth references. Their parents completed a questionnaire to assess their level of education and the child's sleep duration, age and sex. CoDA was employed to investigate the association between 24-h movement behaviours and adiposity in R.
Results:
This study included 169 preschoolers and their overall 24-h movement behaviour composition was associated with BMI z-scores (F = 5.02, p = 0.002). When examining the association between each movement behaviour relative to the others and BMI z-scores, we observed a statistically significant favourable association for sleep (p = 0.025) and unfavourable association for MVPA (p = 0.010), but not for the other behaviours. As such, reallocating 10 min from sleep or from MVPA, proportionally to all other behaviours was associated with a difference of + 0.031 (95%CI = 0.004,0.06) and -0.085 (95%CI = -0.15,-0.02) in BMI z-score, respectively.
Conclusion:
Despite the association between more time spent in MVPA and higher BMI z-scores, promoting a balanced amount of time in each 24-h movement behaviour-more MVPA, less sedentary time, and sufficient sleep-remains important for overall health. Future studies should address methodological challenges (e.g. recruitment bias that may exist in the parents/children willing to participate versus the general population, recall bias in parent reported sleep duration, or other confounding variables such as diet), use larger and more diverse samples, and consider longitudinal designs. Additionally, focusing on other adiposity indicators, such as waist-to-height ratio or fat percentage, could enhance understanding of these relationships.
