Changes in physical activity and screen time related to psychological well-being in early adolescence: findings from longitudinal study ELANA

Abstract

BackgroundPsychological well-being influences health behaviours differently in adolescent boys and girls. We evaluated the role of psychological well-being in early adolescence in the onset and persistence of insufficient physical activity and exceeding recommended screen time, depending on gender.MethodsThis work derives from a cohort study called Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Nutritional Assessment conducted among elementary school students from two public and four private schools in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 2010–2013. We analysed data from 2010 and 2012 from 526 adolescents. Physical activity was evaluated using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Those who performed less than 60 min per day of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) were classified as insufficiently active. Screen time was evaluated based on daily time spent in front of television, video games, and computers. Those who had 4 h or more screen time per day were classified as exceeding the recommended time. Psychological well-being was assessed using the psychological domain of the KIDSCREEN 27 questionnaire. Linear regression was used to estimate coefficient (β) and r2 values for continuous variables. Relative risks (RR) and confidence intervals (95 % CI) for onset and persistence of insufficient activity and exceeding recommended screen time were estimated with Poisson regression models.ResultsAmong girls, linear regression analyses showed a significant inverse association between psychological well-being and screen minutes per day at T2 (r2 = 0.049/β = −3.81 (95 % CI −7.0, −0.9)), as well as an association between poor psychological well-being and onset of exceeding recommended screen time in categorical analyses (RR crude: 1.3; CI 95 % 1.1, 1.7; RR adjusted: 1.3; CI 95 % 1.0, 1.6). For boys, an association was found between psychological well-being and onset of insufficient activity 2 years later (RR crude: 1.3; CI 95 % 1.2, 1.4; RR adjusted: 1.2; CI 95 % 1.1, 1.4).ConclusionAdolescence is crucial for the development of unhealthy behaviours related to psychological well-being status in the context of a middle-income country. Gender differences are important because poor psychological well-being seems to affect sedentary behaviour in girls more than in boys, and predicts insufficient activity among boys.

Decline of physical activity in early adolescence: A 3-year cohort study

“…The average decrease of MVPA in girls was 41% compared to boys, who experienced a 7% decrease. The decrease of MVPA during early adolescence and especially in girls [82,83] was expected since such trends have been observed also in other studies [13,16,84,85]. The findings from the present study concur with a comparative study between Denmark, Portugal, Estonia, and Norway, which discovered decreasing MVPA in pre-adolescents, which was more pronounced in boys (approx.…”

“…In both genders, MVPA levels decrease with age [11], especially during adolescence [12]. Most of the existing studies has found the decline of MVPA in children and adolescents [9,10,[13][14][15][16][17][18][19]], but did not take into account the differences in maturity. The decrease of MVPA may extend into adulthood [12,20,21] and seems to be more associated with biological age than with chronological age [22].…”

“…Children and adolescents from different countries experience diverse rhythms of everyday life due to different educational systems, social settings and cultural differences [23]. Considering this, it is important to analyse each national setting separately and adjust national recommendations to the actual needs and possibilities of local populations as well as to the most intensive periods of PA behavioural change [13,[24][25][26], which is also reflected in behavioural patterns of PA in adulthood [27][28][29].…”

Como está a saúde mental dos brasileiros? A importância das coortes de nascimento para melhor compreensão do problema

“…Data from the various editions of the Brazilian National Survey of School Health (PeNSE) have also provided important evidence on alcohol and drug use, besides including questions on feelings of loneliness, sleep problems, and close friends as proxies for mental health in children and adolescents 13 . However, cohort studies in this age bracket are still limited, and most have been conducted in specific and school-based populations 14,15 . The birth cohorts thus deserve attention since they have investigated the incidence of mental disorders, among other health problems.…”

Associations between physical activity, sedentary behavior, and health risk behaviors among adolescents from a city in Southern Brazil

“…Adolescence is a period characterized by significant physical and psychological changes and during which several lifelong health related behaviors are adopted and established 1 . Youth establish values, beliefs and behaviors related to eating, smoking, alcohol drinking, and physical activity, and these interact to influence risk for obesity, diabetes and other chronic condition [2][3][4][5] .…”