Association between Compliance with Movement Behavior Guidelines and Obesity among Malaysian Preschoolers

Abstract

A daily balance of physical activities, sedentary behaviors and sleep are important for maintaining the health of young children. The aim of this study is to explore the association between 24-h movement behavior of Malaysian children aged 4 to 6 years with weight status. A total of 230 preschoolers were recruited from 22 kindergartens in Kuala Lumpur. Physical activity was assessed by Actical accelerometer while screen time and sleep duration were proxy-reported by parents. Children spent on average 5.5 ± 1.3 h on total physical activity (including 1.0 ± 0.4 h of moderate- vigorous physical activity), 3.0 ± 1.6 h on screen activities and 9.5 ± 1.3 h sleeping daily. The proportion of children who complied with physical activity and sleep guidelines were 48.7% and 55.2%, respectively. About 25.2% of children met screen time recommendation. Only 6.5% of children met all three age-specific physical activity, screen time and sleep guidelines. Children who met any two guidelines were less likely to be overweight or obesity compared to those who did not meet any of the guidelines (OR: 0.276; 95% CI: 0.080–0.950). In conclusion, Malaysian preschoolers have low compliance to movement behavior guidelines, especially in meeting screen time recommendations. Compliance to movement behavior guidelines was associated with lower odds of overweight and obesity.

Associations among Active Commuting to School and Prevalence of Obesity in Adolescents: A Systematic Review

“…On the other hand, other studies [ 53 , 54 ] have shown that for decreasing obesity levels in adolescents, ACS could only be part of a multicomponent approach, being as important as PA and diet. Therefore, it seems difficult to analyze the relationship between ACS and obesity levels alone.…”

“…Therefore, it seems difficult to analyze the relationship between ACS and obesity levels alone. As we know, childhood obesity could be reduced by multi-component modifiable behavioral changes, including physical activity, but also sedentary behavior and dietary patterns [ 53 ]. Recently, the focus has shifted to following a more integrated approach in which it is recognized that 24-h movement behaviors are co-dependent.…”

“…Recently, the focus has shifted to following a more integrated approach in which it is recognized that 24-h movement behaviors are co-dependent. High PA, less sedentary behavior and sufficient sleep time is beneficial in maintaining a healthy body weight and reducing adiposity in children [ 53 , 54 , 55 ]. ACS could also be included as good strategy into the 24-h movement behaviors for either children or adolescents.…”

Meeting the WHO 24-h guidelines among 2–6-year-old children by family socioeconomic status before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a repeated cross-sectional study

“…As a computed average from 11 different countries, 13 percent of under 5-year-old children meet all the guidelines [ 20 ], when, for example, in some urban areas outside of Europe rates are reported to be as low as three percent [ 21 , 22 ]. Compared with PA and sleep, the ST guideline is met more rarely [ 12 , 20 , 22 , 23 ]. In Finland, the prevalence of meeting all the guidelines is reduced from 52 percent at the age of 6 years to 25 percent at the age of 8 years [ 13 ].…”

The Effect of a Smart Money Kit on the Financial Interest, Financial Management Behavior, and Prosocial Level of Preschoolers

“…Hence, there is a need to include creative and appealing play elements in implementing children's activities to complement the learning and teaching processes. Unfortunately, most teachers in preschools are prone to applying direct teaching pedagogy without prioritizing play (Lee et al, 2021) due to their lack of knowledge and skills in the play approach, which inadvertently affects their familiarity with materials and play elements generally used for teaching (Blackwell et al, 2016;Padmavathi, 2017). Such inadequacies of teachers, which result in their less appealing and meaningful delivery methods (Mishra & Koehler, 2006), threaten children's interests in what is being taught and make the learning process formidable (Baranovich et al, 2019).…”