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Updated: Jan 20, 2026
Cross-Sectional Research: Parallel Study of Multiple Cohorts
Sleep and Movement Behaviours in Preschool Children: A Cross-Sectional Study With Compositional Data Analysis
Christine W St Laurent1, Fatemeh Yousefi1, Pardis Parvizi1
1Department of Kinesiology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA.
Insights
In preschool children, nap habits, age, and sex influence 24-hour sleep-wake patterns and physical activity. Understanding these holistic behaviors is key for early childhood development.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Sleep Science
- Childhood Physical Activity Research
- Behavioral Chronobiology
Background:
- Reciprocal associations between physical activity and sleep in early childhood remain unclear compared to older age groups.
- Existing research often overlooks the holistic 24-hour behavior cycle, focusing on isolated sleep or activity metrics.
- Compositional data analysis (CoDA) is needed to examine the interplay of sleep and physical activity within a full day.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate associations between sleep composition (overnight, 24-hour, nap stages) and physical activity in preschool children.
- To determine if 24-hour sleep-wake behaviors differ based on sex or nap habituality.
- To apply CoDA for a comprehensive understanding of young children's daily behavior patterns.
Main Methods:
- Actigraphy data from 272 preschool children (aged 4.2 ± 0.8 years) were used to estimate sleep and physical activity.
- Nap sleep stages were analyzed using polysomnography in a subset of 31 children.
- Multivariate regression models analyzed compositional 24-hour time use differences related to sex and nap habits.
Main Results:
- Nap sleep stage composition was not significantly associated with physical activity levels.
- 24-hour time-use compositions, including both sleep and wake components, varied significantly by age, sex, and nap habituality.
- Total sleep time did not differ across these groups, but the distribution of sleep and wake components did.
Conclusions:
- Nap habits, age, and sex are significant factors influencing the composition of sleep and physical activity within a 24-hour cycle in preschoolers.
- CoDA is a valuable approach for analyzing complex 24-hour behavior patterns in children.
- Further research should examine these associations in diverse populations and incorporate detailed sleep assessments.
Abstract:
Reciprocal relations between physical activity and sleep in early childhood are inconsistent relative to reports in adolescents and adults. Compositional data analysis research highlights the need to examine 24-h behaviours holistically. Yet, studies often focus on daytime metrics, neglecting sleep components. This study aimed to determine if the compositions of overnight sleep, 24-h sleep, and nap sleep stages are associated with physical activity in preschool children and if behaviours of a complete 24-h cycle (sleep and wake) vary by sex or nap habituality. Actigraphy data pooled from two studies (n = 272 children; 4.2 ± 0.8 years) provided estimates of sleep and physical activity. Night and 24-h sleep composition included sleep onset latency, duration, and wake after sleep onset. Nap sleep was measured in 31 children with polysomnography (wake and non-REM sleep stages 1, 2 and 3). Nap sleep stage compositions were not associated with movement behaviours. Six multivariate regression models explored differences in compositional 24-h time use between sex and nap habitually groups. Time-use compositions that included both wake and sleep components varied by age, sex, and nap habituality for all components except total sleep time. This study demonstrates the value of CoDA for understanding 24-h behaviour patterns, revealing that nap habits, age, and sex are linked to specific sleep and activity components in preschoolers. Future research should explore these compositional associations in more diverse populations, consider additional physical activity indicators, and incorporate overnight polysomnography assessments.
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