Movement behaviours and eating habits in children: a cross-sectional study

It is well-established that adherence to 24-h movement guidelines affects various health outcomes. However, few studies have explored its impacts on eating habits in children comprehensively, with most focusing on small or non-representative samples, and neglecting the combined effects of movement behaviours. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the relationship between adherence to 24-h movement guidelines and eating habits in Chinese children.

School-aged students were included for analysis. Physical activity and screen time were assessed using items from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children questionnaire (the Chinese version). Sleep duration was assessed using the items from the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Multivariable ordinal logistic regression models were used to explore the relationship between adherence to 24-h movement guidelines and eating habits.

Overall, only 1.4 % of children adhered to 24-h movement guidelines. Regression analysis showed that children adhering to one (OR = 1.35, CI: 1.05-1.73) or two recommendations (OR = 1.52, CI = 1.17-1.97) were more inclined to consume fruits compared to those who did not adhere to any recommendations. Those who adhered to two recommendations exhibited reduced likelihoods of consuming soft drinks (OR = 0.62, CI: 0.46-0.81) and junk food (OR = 0.48, CI: 0.35-0.66), whereas adherence to one recommendation displayed a diminished likelihood of consuming junk food.

Although no significant association between adherence to all 24-hour movement guidelines and better eating habits was discerned, it was worth noting that adherence to both the recommendations for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and screen time may have positive effects of improving eating habits.