Association between the 24-hour movement guidelines and executive function among Chinese children

Abstract

Objective Childhood is a critical period for brain development. However, it remains unknown whether the behaviors in a typical 24-h day are related to children’s executive function (EF). This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the 24-h movement guidelines and children’s EF. Method Children aged 7–12 years (n = 376) were studied in 2017 in China. Physical activity (PA) was accelerometer-derived, while screen time (ST) and sleep duration were self-reported. Meeting the 24-h movement guidelines was defined as: 1) ≥ 60 min/day of moderate-to-vigorous PA; 2) ≤ 2 h/day of recreational ST; 3) 9–11 h/night of sleep. EF was assessed by the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Number of completed categories (CC), shifting efficiency (SE), non-perseverative errors (NPE), and failure to maintain set (FMS) were used to measure four processes of EF, respectively represented global performance, cognitive flexibility, efficiency in rule discovery, and sustained attention. Generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) were completed to explore the associations of meeting the PA, ST, and sleep duration recommendations with four processes of EF. Results Statistically significant positive associations were observed between the number of guidelines met, regarded as a continuous variable, with CC [β = 0.343 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.125, 0.561)] and SE [β = 4.028 (95% CI: 0.328, 7.727)], while number of guidelines met negatively related to NPE [β = − 4.377 (95% CI:-7.952,-0.802)]. Participants not meeting the two recommendations for PA and sleep duration had lower scores in CC [β = -0.636(95% CI:-1.125,-0.147)] and SE [β = -10.610 (95% CI:-18.794,-2.425)] compared with those meeting the two, suggesting inferior global performance and worse efficiency in rule discovery. However, ST recommendation had no significant association with any processes of EF. Conclusion Meeting more recommendations of the 24-h movement guidelines was associated with superior EF in children. Specifically, more PA and healthy sleep duration should be encouraged to promote children’s EF.

Association between meeting the 24‐h movement guidelines and psychosocial health in children: A cross‐sectional study

“…This can be attributed to the similar proportion of boys and girls meeting the MVPA recommendation ( p = 0.824) in our study. We also found a low prevalence of meeting the MVPA recommendation (13.3%), which is similar to previous studies (Chen et al, 2021; Roman‐Viñas et al, 2016; Zeng et al, 2022). Moreover, the higher prevalence of meeting the ST recommendation in our study is consistent with one previous study conducted in China, which indicated that 82.4% of Chinese children met the ST recommendation (Zeng et al, 2022).…”

“…We also found a low prevalence of meeting the MVPA recommendation (13.3%), which is similar to previous studies (Chen et al, 2021; Roman‐Viñas et al, 2016; Zeng et al, 2022). Moreover, the higher prevalence of meeting the ST recommendation in our study is consistent with one previous study conducted in China, which indicated that 82.4% of Chinese children met the ST recommendation (Zeng et al, 2022). The higher prevalence may be attributed to the elevated levels of parental education, as more than 80% of parents held a college/university degree or higher in our study.…”

Association between muscle strength and executive function in Tibetan adolescents at high altitude in China: Results from a cross‐sectional study at 16–18 years of age

“…While the above study focused on the older population, further logistic regression analysis on adolescents also showed a strong correlation between poorer muscle strength and higher prevalence of executive dysfunction. The study results found a higher risk of cognitive flexibility impairment in the muscle strength index < P 20 group compared to adolescents with muscle strength index > P 80 ( OR = 1.820, 95% CI : 1.111, 2.982) ( P < .05) (Zeng, Cai, et al, 2022). This finding is consistent with the results of the present study.…”

“…Inadequate or impaired executive function development results in learning disabilities, attention deficits, anxiety and depression, and schizophrenia, and this correlation continues into adulthood (Best et al, 2011). Research confirms that muscle strength is an important variable in promoting executive function in adolescents (Zeng, Cai, et al, 2022). Recent studies have found that muscle strength has a positive and significant effect on improving functional brain plasticity, executive function and response inhibition (Arts et al, 2016;Yoon et al, 2017).…”

24‐Hour movement behaviors and executive functions in preschoolers: A compositional and isotemporal reallocation analysis

“…Zeng et al (2022) found that meeting more recommendations of the 24‐h movement guidelines was associated with higher EF scores in children aged 7–12 years. Another cross‐sectional study also reported that associations with superior global cognition were found in elementary school students who met recommendations compared with those who met none of the recommendations (Walsh et al, 2018).…”