Identifying risk profiles for excess sedentary behaviour in youth using individual, family and neighbourhood characteristics

Abstract

There are few known determinants of sedentary behaviour (SB) in children. We generated and compared profiles associated with risk of excess SB among children ( n = 294) both at 8–10 and 10–12 years of age (Visits 1 and 2, respectively), using data from the QUebec Adipose and Lifestyle InvesTigation in Youth. Excess SB was measured by accelerometry and defined as >50% of total wear time at <100 counts/minutes. Recursive partitioning analyses were performed with candidate individual-, family-, and neighbourhood-level factors assessed at Visit 1, and distinct groups at varying risk of excess SB were identified for both timepoints. From the ages of 8–10 to 10–12 years, the prevalence of excess SB more than doubled (24.5% to 57.1%). At Visit 1, excess SB was greatest (73%) among children simultaneously not meeting physical activity guidelines, reporting >2 h/day of weekday non-academic screen time, living in low-dwelling density neighbourhoods, having poor park access, and living in neighbourhoods with greater disadvantage. At Visit 2, the high-risk group (70%) was described by children simultaneously not meeting physical activity guidelines, reporting >2 h/day of non-academic screen time on weekends, and living in neighbourhoods with low disadvantage. Risk factors related to individual lifestyle behaviours are generally consistent, and neighbourhood factors generally inconsistent, as children age from late childhood to pre-adolescence. Multiple factors from developmental, behavioural and contextual domains increase risk for excess sedentary behaviour; these warrant consideration to devise effective prevention or management strategies.

Predicting Psychosocial Health of Children and Adolescents with Obesity in Germany: The Underappreciated Role of Physical Fitness

“…In this regard, evidence suggests that sex, age, socioeconomic status, and migration background not only affect the prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents but also their HRQOL and self-concept [8,[12][13][14]. Further key determinants of both weight status and psychosocial health are lifestyle patterns, such as level of physical inactivity or sedentary behavior, which is characterized by energy expenditure ≤1.5 metabolic equivalents and predominantly involves prolonged sitting and/or laying (e.g., screen-viewing activities, passive transportation) [15,16]. An objective measure of physical activity levels and sedentary behavior is physical fitness [15].…”