Abstract
BackgroundLittle is known about the combined effect of physical activity (PA), recreational screen time (ST), and sleep in preventing childhood obesity. Hence, this study aimed to analyze the associations between meeting the PA, ST, and sleep recommendations within the 24-hour movement guidelines and adiposity indicators among children and adolescents.MethodsA total of 679 children and adolescents aged 8–18 years were included. The time spent in moderate-to-vigorous PA and the sleep duration were estimated from raw data from a wrist-worn accelerometer. Recreational ST was reported by the child or parent. Body mass index (BMI) z-score, fat mass percentage (FM%), and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) were used as adiposity indicators. Participants with ≥ 60 min/day of moderate-to-vigorous PA, < 2 h/day of recreational ST, and uninterrupted sleep for 9–11 h/day (for children) or 8–10 h/day (for adolescents) were considered to meet the overall 24-hour movement guidelines.ResultsMeeting the ST only recommendation was associated with reduced odds of a high BMI z-score (odds ratio [OR] = 0.38, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.17–0.89), excess FM% (OR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.13–0.93), and excess VAT (OR = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.10–0.74) in adolescents. Significantly reduced odds of a high BMI z-score was associated with meeting the combination of the ST and sleep recommendations (OR = 0.11, 95% CI: 0.01–0.89). Adolescents who met one recommendation (OR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.27–0.96) or any two recommendations (OR = 0.33, 95% CI: 0.11–0.94) had reduced ORs of having a high BMI z-score. Adolescents had lower odds of having excess VAT if they met one recommendation (OR = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.19–0.81) or any two recommendations (OR = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.07–0.90). No significant associations were found in children.ConclusionsThe present study showed no associations between meeting all three recommendations within the 24-hour movement guidelines and adiposity indicators. However, meeting ST only recommendation and the combination of the ST and sleep recommendations was associated with a reduced risk of excess adiposity. This finding should be considered when designing effective strategies and interventions to prevent childhood obesity.
Highlights
Little is known about the combined effect of physical activity (PA), recreational screen time (ST), and sleep in preventing childhood obesity
No significant associations were found in children
The results of the present study suggest that reducing the time spent in front of a screen could be a potential target for preventing childhood obesity
Summary
Little is known about the combined effect of physical activity (PA), recreational screen time (ST), and sleep in preventing childhood obesity. Childhood obesity is significantly associated with an increased risk of incident severe obesity in adulthood [3, 4], as well as several noncommunicable diseases and all-cause mortality later in life [5]. The severity of health consequences associated with obesity might be influenced by body fat distribution, especially with increasing visceral adipose tissue (VAT) levels [6]. Member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development spend 331 billion US dollars annually to treat diseases caused by overweight and obesity, which is equal to 8.4% of the total health-care costs [7]. There is an urgent need to prevent overweight and obesity to save societal resources [8]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
