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Health-behavior intervention increases sedentary breaks in children aged 0-5 years: evidence from the Melbourne

Luke Boerdijk1,2, Kylie D Hesketh1, Carry M Renders2

  • 1Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia.

Frontiers in Digital Health
|March 13, 2026
PubMed

Insights

A parent-focused intervention improved sedentary breaks in preschoolers, suggesting potential for influencing behavior accumulation patterns. This study analyzed data from the Melbourne Infant Feeding, Activity and Nutrition Trial.

Area of Science:

  • Child Health and Development
  • Obesity Prevention
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Early childhood physical activity and sedentary behavior are crucial for long-term health.
  • Limited evidence exists on interventions targeting the accumulation patterns of these behaviors, beyond total time.
  • Understanding how behaviors are accumulated is key for effective obesity prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the impact of a parent-focused intervention on preschoolers' physical activity and sedentary behavior patterns.
  • To investigate intervention effects on the duration, frequency, and accumulation of sedentary and physical activity bouts.
  • To analyze intervention effects on sedentary breaks in early childhood.

Main Methods:

  • Secondary analysis of the Melbourne Infant Feeding, Activity and Nutrition Trial (InFANT) clustered randomized control trial.
  • Used ActiGraph™ GT1M accelerometers to collect physical activity and sedentary behavior data.
  • Calculated duration and frequency of sedentary and physical activity bouts (≥1 min) and sedentary breaks; multilevel regression analyses were used.

Main Results:

  • The intervention significantly increased the total number of sedentary breaks at 3.5 years (β=10.9) and 5 years (β=7.94).
  • Intervention effects on other outcomes, including bout durations and frequencies, were small and not statistically significant.
  • 296, 144, and 140 participants had valid accelerometry data at 19 months, 3.5 years, and 5 years, respectively.

Conclusions:

  • Parent-focused interventions may influence the accumulation patterns of physical activity and sedentary behavior in young children.
  • Specifically, the intervention demonstrated a positive effect on increasing sedentary breaks.
  • Further research is needed to explore interventions targeting various aspects of behavior accumulation.
Abstract

Keywords:
RCT - randomized controlled trialactivity patternsearly childhoodmovement behavioursphysical activitysedentary behavior

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