The Association of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviors with Upper Respiratory Tract Infections and Sleep Duration in Preschool Children—Study Protocol

Abstract

Currently, there is no consensus regarding the benefits of physical activity in terms of upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) among different age groups of children. The number of school students avoiding physical education is on the rise. Children of all ages spend more time on sedentary behavior, eat less nutritious food and spend less time sleeping. All of these concomitant aspects adversely affect the immune system. A coexisting problem of a growing society is a large number of URTIs which is the main reason for general practitioner intervention. The aim of this study is to determine whether there is a correlation between the frequency of respiratory tract infections and the level of physical exercise in a cohort of pre-school children. This will be a cross-sectional, short-term study conducted on a single study population. We aim to recruit four-, to seven-year-old children who will be receiving activity monitoring devices for 24 h a day for 40 days. Daily step count, mean intensity of physical exercise and sleep duration will be measured. Simultaneously, their parents will receive a series of 60 questionnaires, one questionnaire per day, for the daily assessment of upper respiratory infection (URI) symptoms. Our study conducted on a cohort of healthy pre-school children using uniform tools, aims to scientifically establish and quantify the relationship between physical activity and health outcomes over a specified period of time.

Air Pollution Increases the Incidence of Upper Respiratory Tract Symptoms among Polish Children

“…Secondly, upper respiratory tract infection symptoms, (e.g., running nose, sneezing and feeling tired) may overlap with the symptomatology of allergic rhinitis and could have been misreported in our self-assessed questionnaire, which is another limitation. Nevertheless, the WURSS-k questionnaire was validated for such cases, also in our preliminary study [ 16 ]. Thirdly, although greater overcrowding and poorer housing quality might pose an increased risk of allergy symptoms and coincide with URTS caused by air pollution becoming a limitation of this study, Samoliński et al demonstrated that, in Poland, impoverished housing standards do not indicate higher risk of sensitization and house dust mite allergy [ 25 ].…”

“…Data on respiratory morbidity were collected using a self-reported questionnaire based on the polish version of the Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey for kids (WURSS-k) [ 16 ]. The research tool for collecting data on children’s health was a self-filling questionnaire carried out with the CAWI (computer-assisted web interviewing) technique.…”

“…For the questionnaire about the children’s respiratory symptoms, the core questions from the standardized questionnaire Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey for Kids (WURSS-k) were used, extended by the addition of questions about eye irritation and headaches. The standardized WURSS-k questionnaire has previously been translated into Polish and validated [ 16 ]. An essential part of this questionnaire was a self-assessment of the participating children’s symptoms (cough, runny nose, sneezing, eye irritation) on a Likert scale.…”

Validation and clinical evaluation of a Polish translation of the Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey for Kids (WURSS-K)

“…Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) are the most common cause of outpatient clinic visits among patients of all age groups [ 1 , 2 ], accounting for more than 50% of pediatric medical consultations, and causing massive clinical and economic burden [ 3 ].…”

<p>Children’s Sleep May Depend on Maternal Sleep Duration During Pregnancy: A Retrospective Study</p>

“…However, almost all studies focused on children's own environmental exposure, lifestyle factors, and health condition, such as family members' interaction, sleep environment, physical activity, obesity, etc. [8][9][10][11][12] Data from the ALSPAC cohort in the UK indicated that maternal mood disturbance in pregnancy has persisting effects on sleep problems in their children. 13 A very recent study in Finland also suggested that maternal depressive symptoms during pregnancy are associated with an increased risk of children's sleep deficiency and sleep disorders.…”