Adolescents' time-use and academic attainment: A longitudinal, compositional analysis in the Millennium Cohort Study

There is a lack of longitudinal evidence regarding the associations between 24-hour movement behaviours and academic attainment. Using the Millennium Cohort Study, we examined the association of time-use diary assessed movement behaviours at age 14 years with formal school examination results at age 16. Analytical samples for weekday and weekend analyses were n = 1644 and n = 1642, respectively (weekday sample at baseline: 54% female, 80% White British). Time-use diary data were used to derive six behavioural sets: (a) sleep; (b) physical activity; (c) electronic media; (d) school-related activities; (e) hobbies and socialising; and (f) domestic tasks, personal care, and work-related activities. The primary outcome was Attainment 8, a composite marker of overall academic attainment across a range of subjects devised by the Department for Education in England. Multivariable compositional isotemporal substitution models were used to estimate differences in Attainment 8 associated with reallocating time between behaviour sets. Predicted differences in Attainment 8 scores were statistically significant for all models (weekday and weekend) that simulated the addition or removal of sleep, with an increase in sleep duration associated with lower academic attainment. Reallocating 20 minutes to sleep from physical activity was associated with the largest reduction in Attainment 8 (β = -.81, 95%CI [-.87, -.76]), while comparable reallocations to physical activity from sleep were associated with enhanced Attainment 8 (β = .29, 95%CI [.24,.34]). Associations were largely consistent between week and weekend days but remained small in magnitude across all behaviour sets. Reallocations to sleep from any other behavioural set was adversely associated with academic attainment, while comparable increases in physical activity or hobbies were beneficially associated with academic attainment. Time-use during mid-adolescence may be associated with later academic attainment, but associations are behaviour-specific and small in magnitude, warranting further exploration prior to intervention development.