Associations between physical activity, screen time, sleep time and selected academic skills in 8/9-year-old children

Abstract

Background High levels of physical activity (PA), low levels of screen time, combined with sufficient sleep time, provide better health benefits. However, few studies have examined the association of these behaviours with academic skills. Therefore, this study aims to determine how PA, screen time, and sleep time are related to selected academic skills of 8/9-year-old children while examining compliance with the guidelines on PA, sedentary behaviour, and sleep among this population group. Methods This cross-sectional study included 114 primary school children (50% girls) aged 8–9years old from 2nd grade. The levels of PA, screen time, and sleep were assessed using self-reported questionnaires. The selected academic skills (based on reading and writing) were assessed by a battery of methods designed to diagnose the causes of school failure in students aged 7–9. Non-linear regression was applied to build multivariate models aimed at finding the most significant predictors for the selected academic skills separately. Results Sixty-seven percent of children met the sleep guidelines, 22% met the screen time guidelines, and only 8% met PA guidelines. In terms of screen time, boys spent more time playing games than girls (p = .008). Moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) was associated with higher/better scores of the visual-auditory integration (B = -0.07, p = .040). Not meeting the sleep guidelines was associated with lower scores in visual-auditory integration among children (B = 0.12, p = .042). Children who did not meet the screen time guidelines had lower scores in perceptual-motor integration (B = -0.09, p = .040). Conclusions Participating in PA, limiting screen time and sufficient sleep time may benefit/support academic skills in children.

Effects of Screen Time and Phonemic Segmentation in School Going Children

“…Notably, the educational qualifications of the parents, particularly those with higher academic achievements, suggest a potential correlation with the children's phonological development, an aspect that has been underscored in prior studies. For instance, research has highlighted the impact of parental education on children's language skills, suggesting that a higher level of parental education may be associated with enhanced phonological memory and awareness in children (16)(17)(18). The finding that screen time does not significantly differ across ages, provided it remains within a recommended safe limit, aligns with earlier studies suggesting that interactive screen activities may not adversely affect phonological memory in preschool-aged children.…”