Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, Sleep Duration and Well-Being Among Estonian Schoolchildren: A Thematic Review

Abstract

The knowledge of the importance of physical activity (PA) during childhood and adolescence has increased internationally, but physical inactivity of children and youth is still a growing problem all over the world. It is well known that increasing screen-time and sedentary activities compete with physical activities in leisure time. The level of PA decreases during growth and maturation, but the habits of healthy lifestyle have to form in this age. Physical activity is directly associated with healthy body composition. Therefore, the promotion of PA is an essential strategy to improve the physical and mental health and well-being of schoolchildren. At the same time sleep duration of schoolchildren is often not sufficient. The schoolsetting is a good environment for population-based PA interventions to introduce healthy life-style regardless of the socio-economic status of every student involved. To take action against increasing obesity rates and sedentary behaviour, and reducing PA levels among children, a number of organizations have issued their PA recommendations. To compile present chapter, the available data about the studies with Estonian school children were used and compared with contemporary related data obtained from studies with children from foreign countries. According to the recent studies, the PA levels of Estonian children, similarly to other European children are alarmingly low. To fight the increasing level of physical inactivity, various intervention programmes should be created and implemented to increase daily PA of children. In order to develop effective intervention programmes it is essential to estimate PA, sedentary behaviour and health indicators among Estonian children. Accordingly, the present thematic review includes the contemporary data of objectively measured PA studies of Estonian schoolchildren, which were compared to the results of peers in other countries. This enables to assess the position of Estonian children in the world according to their PA habits. The benefits of PA and adverse effects of excessive sedentary time should be emphasized in all educational instances.