Highlights This study provides the prevalence estimates of physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep duration (isolation and combination) in a nationally representative sample ( n = 114,072) of Chinese children and adolescents of grades 4–12. Only about 5% of Chinese children and adolescents show the most ideal combination of 24-h movement behaviors. Chinese children and adolescents with younger ages, higher parental education levels, and higher family incomes exhibit favorable 24-h movement behaviors. Chinese children and adolescents with the most ideal 24-h movement behaviors have lower risks of overweight and obesity, especially in children of grades 4–6 and girls of grades 7–9.

BackgroundThere is limited evidence for the prevalence of the co-existence of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SED), and its correlates among children and adolescents. This study has two aims: 1) to investigate the prevalence of PA and SED, and their co-existence, and 2) to examine the associations between PA or SED, or both with gender and age among children and adolescents in Shanghai, China.MethodsUsing a cross-sectional study design (conducted from September to December 2014), 50,090 children and adolescents (10–18 years old, 50.4% boys) were included in this study. A self-reporting questionnaire was used to measure participants’ sociodemographic characteristics, PA, and SED. Descriptive statistics were used to describe sample characteristics, the prevalence of PA and SED, and their co-existence. A Generalized Linear Model was conducted to explore the associations between the prevalence of PA and SED, and their co-existence with gender and age separately.ResultsOf the children and adolescents studied, only 18.4% met the guidelines for PA, 25.5% met the guidelines for SED, and 5.7% met the guidelines for both. Boys were more physically active (aOR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.36–1.50), and girls were less sedentary (aOR = 1.29, 95%CI: 1.24–1.34). The prevalence of PA, SED, or both all declined as age increased (p < 0.001). Stratified analysis by gender revealed greater declining trends of meeting the PA or SED guidelines, or both in girls (all p < 0.005).ConclusionVery few children and adolescents showed active lifestyles, and this was significantly related to age. Effective interventions aiming to promote PA and concurrently to limited SED among children and adolescents should be implemented as early as possible.

Preschool-aged children are in a critical period of developing fundamental movement skills (FMS). FMS have a close link with physical activity (PA). This study aimed to systematically review the associations between FMS and PA in preschool-aged children. Searching Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and EBSCO (including SPORTDiscus, ERIC, and Academic Search Premier) was utilized to conduct a systematic review of the available literature. Studies were included if they examined associations between FMS and PA among typically developing children aged 3–6 years, published between January 2000 and April 2020. A total of 26 studies met the inclusion criteria, including 24 cross-sectional studies and two cohort studies. There was a strong level of evidence to support low to moderate associations between moderate to vigorous physical activity and components of FMS, specifically, the total FMS (r = 0.11–0.48, R2 = 16%–19%) and object control skill (r = 0.16–0.46, β = 0.28–0.49, R2 = 10.4%–16.9%). Similar associations were also found between the total physical activity and components of FMS, specifically, the total FMS (r = 0.10–0.45, R2 = 16%), locomotor skills (r = 0.14–0.46, R2 = 21.3%), and objective control skills (r = 0.16–0.44, β = 0.47, R2 = 19.2%). There was strong evidence that there is no significant association between light physical activity and FMS, specifically, total FMS and locomotor skills. The associations, including “stability skills–PA” and “locomotor skills–moderate to vigorous PA”, were uncertain due to insufficient evidence. Our findings provide strong evidence of associations between specific FMS components and a specific PA intensity. Future studies should consider using a longitudinal study design in order to explore the causal relationship between specific-intensity PA and the FMS subdomain.

Physical-activity (PA) and sedentary-behavior (SB) assessment is of particular importance in the promotion of health in young people. However, there is no comprehensive overview of PA and SB from national surveys among Chinese children and adolescents. Following a literature search for Chinese national health surveys, 11 papers from six national surveys were found. Of the included studies, the majority applied self-reported questionnaires to estimate the prevalence of PA and SB. Owing to different definitions of the prevalence of PA and SB and various measures, a large variation in prevalence of PA and SB was observed. Such variations were attributable to methodological and practical issues. This study highlights the current gaps in estimating the national prevalence of PA and SB among Chinese children and adolescents, which should be addressed. To improve the quality of PA and SB surveillance, standardized measurement protocols to estimate the prevalence of PA and SB more accurately among Chinese children and adolescents are urgently required.

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