Volume and accumulation patterns of physical activity and sedentary time: longitudinal changes and tracking from early to late childhood

Abstract

Background Physical activity (PA) decreases and sedentary time (SED) increases across childhood, with both behaviours tracking. However, no studies have examined how accumulation patterns of PA and SED (i.e., prolonged bouts, frequency of breaks in sedentary time) change and track over time. The aim of this study was to investigate longitudinal changes in and tracking of total volume and accumulation patterns of SED, light-intensity PA (LPA), moderate-intensity PA (MPA), vigorous-intensity PA (VPA) among boys and girls. Methods In 2008/09 (T1), children in HAPPY (3-5y; n = 758) in Melbourne, Australia wore ActiGraph GT1M accelerometers to objectively assess SED, LPA, MPA and VPA. This was repeated at age 6-8y (T2; n = 473) and 9-11y (T3; n = 478). Ten pattern variables were computed: bouts of ≥ 5-, ≥ 10-, ≥ 15- and ≥ 20-min for SED, ≥ 1- and ≥ 5-min for LPA, ≥ 1-min for MPA, ≥ 1- and ≥ 5-min for VPA, and breaks in SED (interruptions of > 25 counts 15 s− 1). Longitudinal mixed models examined changes from T1-3, controlling for T1 age. Generalized estimating equations assessed tracking over the three time points, controlling for T1 age and time between measurements. Analyses were stratified by sex. Results Total volume and bouts of SED and SED breaks increased, while total volume and bouts of LPA decreased for both sexes. There was a small decrease in total volume of MPA for girls, but time spent in ≥ 1-min bouts increased for both sexes. Total volume of VPA increased for both sexes, with time spent in ≥ 1-min bouts increasing for boys only. All volume and pattern variables tracked moderately for boys, except for all SED bouts ≥ 15-min, LPA bouts ≥ 5-min and MPA bouts ≥ 1-min (which tracked weakly). For girls, total SED and SED bouts ≥ 1-min tracked strongly, total volume of LPA, MPA and VPA, ≥ 5- and ≥ 10-min SED bouts, and ≥ 1-min LPA and MPA bouts tracked moderately, and SED breaks, all SED bouts ≥ 15 min, LPA bouts ≥ 5 min and all VPA bouts tracked weakly. Conclusions Patterns of SED and PA change from early to late childhood; with the exception of SED breaks and VPA, changes were detrimental. Total volumes and short bouts tended to track more strongly than longer bouts. Interventions to prevent declines in PA and increases in SED are important from early in life.

Associations of home and neighborhood environments with children’s physical activity in the U.S.-based Neighborhood Impact on Kids (NIK) longitudinal cohort study

“…Using the survey described above, parents reported their reasons for choosing to live in their current neighborhood, which was intended as a measure of neighborhood self-selection. In particular, parents were asked to rate the importance (on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1 'Not at all important' to 5 'Very important') of the following 16 neighborhood characteristics: [1] affordability; [2] other children living nearby; proximity to [3] parks, [4] workplace/school, [5] public transport, [6] shops and services, [7] recreational facilities, [8] grocery stores and restaurants, [9] healthcare facilities and [10] entertainment/cultural facilities; [11] access to freeways/motorways; [12] ease of walking; [13] sense of community; [14] safety from crime; [15] quality of local schools and [16] other reason. Responses to these items were entered into principal components analysis with orthogonal varimax rotation, and three factors related to neighborhood self-selection were identified.…”

“…Childhood is a key developmental life stage during which regular PA is instrumental in the promotion of optimal health, including bone mineral density and healthy weight status [1,2]. PA levels have been shown to track from childhood into adulthood, so promotion of PA during childhood could benefit longterm health [3][4][5]. Globally, however, fewer than 25% of school-aged children engage in recommended levels of PA (i.e., at least one hour of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity or MVPA per day) [1,6,7], and agerelated declines in PA are evident through late childhood and adolescence [4,7].…”

Physical activity in young children across developmental and health states: the ActiveCHILD study

“…Everyday movement and physical activity promotes young children’s health, wellbeing, and biopsychosocial outcomes 1 , 2 , 3 across children of health and developmental states. 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 Although the importance of early-life physical activity is widely recognised, for example, in the WHO (World Health Organisation) and national guidelines, 8 , 9 children’s activity levels decline from as early as school entry, 10 , 11 considerable uncertainty remains about preschool children’s physical activity, 12 , 13 and effective early interventions remain scarce. 14 , 15 , 16 There is now an urgent, widely agreed need for more robust and diverse evidence about early childhood physical activity 17 to advance innovation, policy, and practice.…”

Epidemiological Study of Physical Activity, Negative Moods, and Their Correlations among College Students

“…Studies have shown that an average of 10 regular minutes of PA promotes good physical and mental health outcomes. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for any length of time has physical and mental health benefits [ 14 , 15 , 16 ]. Conversely, prolonged sedentary behavior (SB) and sustained light physical activity (LPA) are some of the predisposing factors for NMs [ 17 , 18 , 19 ].…”