Prevalence and trends in Australian adolescents’ adherence to 24-hour movement guidelines: findings from a repeated national cross-sectional survey

Abstract

Background 24-hour movement guidelines recommend a healthy balance of high levels of physical activity, low levels of sedentary behaviour and appropriate sleep duration each day. At present, surveillance data on how Australian adolescents are performing against these guidelines are lacking. This study aims to describe the extent to which Australian secondary school students are adhering to the physical activity, sedentary recreational screen time and sleep duration recommendations outlined in the national 24-hour movement guidelines for children and young people. It also examines whether there are socio-demographic differences in levels of compliance and if there have been significant changes in these behaviours over time. Methods A repeated national cross-sectional survey of students in grades 8 to 11 (ages 12-17 years) was conducted in 2009-2010 (n=13,790), 2012-2013 (n=10,309) and 2018 (n=9,102). Students’ self-reported physical activity, screen time and sleep behaviours were assessed using validated instruments administered in schools via a web-based questionnaire. Results In 2018, around one in four students (26%) did not meet any of the 24-hour movement guidelines, while only 2% of students met all three. Adherence to the sleep duration recommendation was highest (67%), with substantially smaller proportions of students meeting the physical activity (16%) and screen time (10%) recommendations. Differences in adherence by sex, grade level and socio-economic area were apparent. Students’ compliance with the screen time recommendation has declined over time, from 19% in 2009-2010 to 10% in 2018. However, there has been no significant change in the proportion meeting the physical activity (15% in 2009-2010 cf. 16% in 2018) and sleep duration (69% in 2009-2010 cf. 67% in 2018) recommendations. Compliance with all three guidelines has remained very low (<3%) across each survey round. Conclusions There is considerable scope to improve Australian adolescents’ physical activity and sedentary behaviours in line with the national 24-hour movement guidelines. Policy proposals and environmental interventions, particularly those focused on replacing sedentary screen time with physical activity (e.g. promotion of active commuting to/from school), are needed to better support Australian adolescents in meeting the 24-hour movement guidelines.

Trends in adherence to the 24‐h movement guidelines among US adolescents from 2011 to 2019: Evidence from repeated cross‐sectional cycles of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System

“…Other nations are experiencing similar public health concerns related to declining movement behavior guideline adherence as evidenced by a recent study of Australian adolescents. 33 Together, these findings extend upon previous work that has investigated MVPA, recreational ST and sleep trends independently, each showcasing less favorable outcomes. [34][35][36] Taking an integrative approach rooted in the 24-h movement paradigm represents a strength of the present study as more evidence emerges demonstrating the need to consider the co-dependence among these behaviors and how they interact to influence health.…”

“…Even so, findings of this study present a significant health threat, as ample evidence has demonstrated the strong association between 24‐h movement guideline adherence and various health outcomes 2 . Our study provides an impetus for the development of effective health promotion strategies that take an integrative approach targeting MVPA, recreational ST and sleep simultaneously, as there is evidence suggesting a declining trend in rates of 24‐h movement guideline adherence 33 …”

“…However, ST guidelines adherence generally displayed as an increasing trend, which is inconsistent with some countries' data. 20,22,33,34 This finding should be interpreted with caution, given the ST measures in this study only consider TV and computer use while did not consider smartphone and tablet use that have been a popular ST exposure source of adolescents. 22 Considering the increasing trend in adherence to the ST guidelines in this study, on the basis of the increasing trend in adherence to the ST guidelines, to reverse the declining trends in adherence to the 24-h movement guidelines, PA and sleep guideline adherence rates with time should be priority.…”

Adherence to 24‐h movement behaviour guidelines in families with multiple children

“…Welfare Evans-Whipp & Gasser, 2019;Friel et al, 2020;Gomes et al, 2017;Grady et al, 2018;Hui et al, 2021;Olds et 2018;Roberts et al, 2017;Roman-Viñas et al, 2016;Scully et al, 2022;Tooth et al, 2019), adherence to individual guidelines varied by movement behaviour, with 44%, 18% and 88% of families having all children meeting ST, PA and sleep guidelines, respectively.…”

“…Adherence to sleep guidelines tends to be the highest of the three behaviours, particularly in younger children (Grady et al, 2018;Scully et al, 2022), possibly reflecting the biological necessity of sleeping and that it tends to occur within the home. Meeting ST and PA guidelines has found to range from 5% to 87% (Cooper et al, 2015;Gomes et al, 2017;Olds et al, 2018;Roman-Viñas et al, 2016;Telford et al, 2013).…”