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Association Between Meeting the 24-H Movement Behaviour Guidelines and Behavioural and Emotional Problems in
Franco Souza-Marabotto1, Miguel Ángel Durán-Vinagre2, Bruno Bizzozero-Peroni1,3,4,5
1Grupo de Investigación en Análisis del Rendimiento Humano, Universidad de la República, Rivera, Uruguay.
Insights
Meeting 24-hour movement behavior guidelines, including physical activity and sleep, was not significantly associated with fewer behavioral or emotional problems in young Uruguayan children. Further research is needed to understand long-term effects.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Public Health
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Adherence to 24-hour movement behavior guidelines is crucial for child development.
- Understanding the link between movement behaviors and mental health in early childhood is important.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the association between meeting 24-hour movement behavior guidelines and behavioral/emotional problems in Uruguayan young children.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study using data from 932 Uruguayan children (12-59 months).
- Assessed physical activity, sedentary screen time, sleep, and behavioral/emotional problems (Child Behaviour Checklist).
- Used ordinal logistic regression, adjusting for covariates.
Main Results:
- Only 20.4% of children met all three 24-hour movement behavior guidelines.
- No significant associations were found between adherence to movement behavior guidelines and internalizing or externalizing problems.
- Most children exhibited normal behavioral and emotional problem ranges.
Conclusions:
- Meeting current 24-hour movement behavior recommendations may not be directly linked to mental health in early childhood.
- Longitudinal studies are needed to explore cumulative or delayed associations.
- Findings suggest current guidelines may not capture the full picture of movement behaviors' impact on mental health.
Objective:
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.
Methods:
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.
Results:
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.
Conclusions:
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.
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