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Associations between activity, sedentary and sleep behaviours and psychosocial health in young children: a
Rachael W Taylor1, Jillian J Haszard2, Kim A Meredith-Jones3
1Department of Medicine, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand. rachael.taylor@otago.ac.nz.
Insights
This study found no significant link between preschool sleep, activity, and sedentary time and overall mental health at age 5. Some cross-sectional associations with inhibitory control were noted, but no longitudinal relationships were apparent.
Area of Science:
- Child Health
- Behavioral Science
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Sleep, physical activity, and sedentary time are crucial for children's mental health.
- Few studies have analyzed these behaviors together using compositional analysis.
- The 24-hour day's closed nature requires accounting for the interplay of these behaviors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prospective relationship between compositional time use in early childhood and mental/psychosocial health at age 5.
- To determine how sleep, physical activity, and sedentary behavior, when considered together, influence child development.
- To utilize compositional analysis to understand time allocation and its health implications.
Main Methods:
- 392 children wore accelerometers 24/7 for a week at ages 2, 3.5, and 5.
- Assessed psychosocial and mental health at age 5 via researcher-assessed and parent-reported measures.
- Employed regression models with isometric log-ratios of time-use components.
Main Results:
- Cross-sectionally, more sleep at age 5 correlated with better inhibitory control.
- Increased physical activity at age 5 was associated with poorer inhibitory control.
- No significant associations were found between time-use differences and overall self-regulation or mental health at age 5.
Conclusions:
- No significant longitudinal associations were found between preschool time use (sleep, activity, sedentary) and mental/psychosocial health at age 5.
- Cross-sectional findings indicated some links between sleep/activity and inhibitory control, but these were not sustained longitudinally.
- The study highlights the complexity of 24-hour time use and its impact on child development, with no clear overall predictive relationship identified.
Background:
Good quality sleep, regular physical activity, and limited time spent sedentary are all considered individually important in promoting good mental health in children. However, few studies have examined the influence of each behaviour simultaneously, using compositional analysis which accounts for the closed nature of the 24-h day. Our aim was to determine how compositional time use in early childhood is prospectively related to mental and psychosocial health at 5 years of age.
Methods:
A total of 392 children wore Actical accelerometers 24-h a day for one week at 2, 3.5 and 5 years of age to examine time in sleep, physical activity, and sedentary behaviour. Psychosocial and mental health were assessed at age 5 using both laboratory based (researcher-assessed) and questionnaire (parental-report) measures. Associations were estimated using regression models with isometric log-ratios of time-use components as predictors.
Results:
Cross-sectionally, 5-year old children who spent 10% (64 min) more time asleep than average had better inhibitory control (standardised mean difference [d]; 0.19; 95% confidence interal [CI]: 0.02, 0.36 for Statue test and d = 0.16; 95% CI: - 0.01, 0.33 for Heads-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task). A greater proportion of time spent active (10%, 31 min) was associated with poorer inhibitory control (d = - 0.07; 95% CI: - 0.13, - 0.02 for Statue test, d = - 0.06; 95% CI: - 0.11, - 0.01 for Heads-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task). By contrast, differences in time-use were not found to be significantly associated with any measure of self-regulation or mental health at 5 years of age, nor were any significant longitudinal relationships apparent.
Conclusions:
We did not find a significant association between 24-h time use in the preschool years and any measure of psychosocial or mental health at 5 years of age, although some relationships with inhibitory control were observed cross-sectionally.
Trial Registration:
ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT00892983, registered 5th May 2009.
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