A systematic review of compositional analysis studies examining the associations between sleep, sedentary behaviour, and physical activity with health indicators in early childhood

Abstract

Background This systematic review examined if the composition of time spent in sleep, sedentary behaviour, and physical activity of different intensities is associated with health and developmental indicators in children aged 0–5 years. Methods Four electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and SPORTDiscus) were searched in January 2022. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they were peer-reviewed, the average age of participants was < 6 years, and compositional data analysis was used to examine the associations between the composition of time spent in movement behaviours and health and developmental indicators. Results Eight studies (7 cross-sectional, 1 prospective cohort) of < 2070 unique participants were included. Only a single study included children < 3 years old and 37% of the associations examined in the literature were based on indicators of body composition. The 24-h movement behaviour composition was associated with mental health indicators (3 of 4 associations examined in the literature), motor skills and development (6 of 7 associations), and physical fitness (3 of 3 associations). Reallocating time from light physical activity into moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was favourable for motor skills and development. Reallocating time from light physical activity into sleep was unfavourable for mental health. Reallocating time from light physical activity into sedentary behaviour or sleep was favourable for motor skills and development. Conclusions This review provides some evidence that the composition of movement behaviours is important for the health of young children. Future research should consider including infants and toddlers, larger sample size, and measures of health and development other than body composition. (PROSPERO registration no.: CRD42022298370.)

Adherence to the World Health Organization’s physical activity recommendation in preschool-aged children: a systematic review and meta-analysis of accelerometer studies

“…The national guidelines in many countries including Canada, Australia, and South Africa include consistent recommendations for physical activity; however in some cases these guidelines vary slightly on the age range, covering children from the ages 3–5 years [ 2 – 4 ]. Although the WHO’s guidelines emphasize the importance of 24-hour movement behaviours, an acknowledgment that the whole day matters, individual movement behaviours may confer unique health and developmental benefits [ 5 , 6 ]. Indeed, evidence from a large systematic review shows that engaging in sufficient levels of physical activity is related to several health benefits across domains of physical, social-emotional, and cognitive development [ 7 ].…”

“…Indeed, evidence from a large systematic review shows that engaging in sufficient levels of physical activity is related to several health benefits across domains of physical, social-emotional, and cognitive development [ 7 ]. More recently, results from multiple compositional data analyses have demonstrated that the relative time spent engaging in physical activity throughout the day, especially MVPA, may be the most beneficial for improving bone and skeletal health, increasing fitness, and developing of fundamental movement skills in young children [ 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 ]. Moreover, physical activity habits begin to develop in early childhood [ 10 ].…”

Losing sleep influences dietary intake in children: a longitudinal compositional analysis of a randomised crossover trial

“…Sample size calculations were based on detecting a difference of 500 kJ (using SD of 1619 kJ [14]) in daily energy intake (80% power, α 0.05), requiring 85 children. We aimed to recruit 110 children to allow for 20%-40% drop out given the intensive nature of the study [17].…”

“…All dietary recall data were entered and cross-checked by registered dietitians using the "Food-Works" dietary analysis software program (FoodWorks 9 Professional, Version 9.0. Brisbane: Xyris Pty Ltd, 2019) which incorporates the New Zealand Food Composition Tables [14]. Dietary intake from the two relevant recalls in each intervention week were adjusted to represent usual intake for that week using the Multiple Source Method (MSM) [26].…”

“…Recently a compositional data analysis (CoDA) framework was developed that allows for the estimation of associations between time use components (sleep, sedentary time, light physical activity (LPA), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA)) and health outcomes, while accounting for all other components of the day [10,11]. Current compositional analyses in children are mostly cross-sectional and suggest that more time asleep and/or in MVPA, and less time sedentary are associated with lower BMI z-score [5,[12][13][14]. Such cross-sectional analyses can only provide correlational estimates, are still likely to be confounded by other unmeasured variables (such as diet), and offer little insight to how change in sleep actually influences outcomes.…”