The Association of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviors with Upper Respiratory Tract Infections and Sleep Duration in Preschool Children-Study Protocol.

Katarzyna Ostrzyżek-Przeździecka,Cynthia Smeding,Michał Bronikowski,Mariusz Panczyk,Wojciech Feleszko

doi:10.3390/ijerph16091496

Abstract

Currently, there is no consensus regarding the benefits of physical activity in terms of upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) among different age groups of children. The number of school students avoiding physical education is on the rise. Children of all ages spend more time on sedentary behavior, eat less nutritious food and spend less time sleeping. All of these concomitant aspects adversely affect the immune system. A coexisting problem of a growing society is a large number of URTIs which is the main reason for general practitioner intervention. The aim of this study is to determine whether there is a correlation between the frequency of respiratory tract infections and the level of physical exercise in a cohort of pre-school children. This will be a cross-sectional, short-term study conducted on a single study population. We aim to recruit four-, to seven-year-old children who will be receiving activity monitoring devices for 24 h a day for 40 days. Daily step count, mean intensity of physical exercise and sleep duration will be measured. Simultaneously, their parents will receive a series of 60 questionnaires, one questionnaire per day, for the daily assessment of upper respiratory infection (URI) symptoms. Our study conducted on a cohort of healthy pre-school children using uniform tools, aims to scientifically establish and quantify the relationship between physical activity and health outcomes over a specified period of time.

Highlights

Amid concerns that increased sedentary behavior takes an increasing toll on the quality of life, there is a growing debate as to the adverse effects on children and adolescents
Limited evidence suggests that a total daily physical activity volume of 10,000–14,000 steps/day is associated with 60–100 min of moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) in group of 4–6 years of age
There is some wide-ranging perplexity and dialogue regarding a potential correlation between the incidence of recurrent respiratory infections and physical activity in pre-school children

Summary

Introduction

Amid concerns that increased sedentary behavior takes an increasing toll on the quality of life, there is a growing debate as to the adverse effects on children and adolescents. Recommends that children and adolescents (aged 5–17) should participate in at least 60 min of moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) daily. Tudor-Locke et al analyzed reports on pre-school children. The analysis showed that 60 min of MVPA in children (aged 6–11 years) can be achieved with a mean 13,000–15,000 steps per day in boys and a mean of 11,000–12,000 steps per day in girls. Limited evidence suggests that a total daily physical activity volume of 10,000–14,000 steps/day is associated with 60–100 min of MVPA in group of 4–6 years of age. 15.6% percent of girls in primary school achieved the recommended level of 12,000 steps per day [3]. Public Health 2019, 16, 1496; doi:10.3390/ijerph16091496 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

Objectives

Methods

Findings

Discussion

Conclusion