Association Between Meeting the 24-H Movement Behaviour Guidelines and Behavioural and Emotional Problems in...

The aim of this study was to analyse the association between meeting the 24-h movement behaviour guidelines and behavioural and emotional problems in Uruguayan young children.

A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the 2018 Nutrition, Child Development and Health Survey. A total of 932 children aged between 12 and 59 months were included, with complete data on physical activity and sedentary screen time, sleep and behavioural/emotional problems assessed using the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL 1.5-5). Children were classified according to meeting the WHO guidelines for each behaviour. Ordinal logistic regression models adjusted for age, sex, body mass index and parental educational level were applied, considering those who did not meet any recommendation as the reference category.

The final sample included 932 young children (51% boys; mean age = 23.8 months). Only 20.4% met all three 24-h movement behaviour guidelines, and 22.3% met both physical activity and sleep recommendations. Most children were classified within the normal range for behavioural and emotional problems. Adjusted ordinal logistic regression analyses showed no significant associations between adherence to the 24-h movement behaviour guidelines and internalising or externalising problems, nor with their specific domains.

This study, based on data from a large national survey sample of Uruguayan young children, suggests that meeting current recommendations for movement behaviours may not be directly linked to mental health outcomes at this early developmental stage. Longitudinal studies are warranted to clarify potential cumulative or delayed associations of movement behaviours on child mental health.