How does the UK childcare energy-balance environment influence anthropometry of children aged 3–4 years? A cross-sectional exploration

ObjectivesTo assess the association between time spent in care, the childcare energy-balance environment, and preschool-aged children’s body mass index z-score (z-BMI), waist-to-height ratio (WHR) and sum of skinfold thickness (SST).DesignCross-sectional study.Setting and participantsChildren aged 3–4 years were recruited from 30 childcare centres in Cambridgeshire (UK) in 2013.Main outcome measuresObjectively measured height and weight was used to calculate z-BMI; waist circumference and height were used to generate WHR; subscapular and tricep skinfolds were used to calculate SST. Associations between childcare attendance, the nutrition, physical activity, and overall childcare environment, and three anthropometric outcomes were explored using two-level hierarchical regression models, adjusting for demographic and family based confounders.ResultsValid data were available for 196 children (49% female). Time spent in care, the nutrition, physical activity and overall childcare environment were not associated with children’s z-BMI, WHR and SST.ConclusionsChildcare environment and level of attendance were not associated with UK preschool-aged children’s anthropometry. The childcare environment has been central to intervention efforts to prevent/reduce early childhood obesity, yet other factors, including child-level, family level, wider environmental and policy-level factors warrant substantial attention when considering obesity prevention strategies for young children.

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Association of physical activity with adiposity in preschoolers using different clinical adiposity measures: a cross-sectional study

BMC Pediatrics ◽

10.1186/s12887-019-1764-4 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Amar Arhab ◽

Nadine Messerli-Bürgy ◽

Tanja H. Kakebeeke ◽

Kerstin Stülb ◽

Annina Zysset ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Total Sample ◽

Skinfold Thickness ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Normal Weight ◽

Health Study ◽

Obese Children ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Linear Regression Modeling ◽

Objectively Measured

Abstract Background More research is needed about the association between physical activity (PA), sedentary behaviour (SB), and adiposity in preschoolers, particularly using more direct clinical measures of adiposity. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to investigate the association between objectively measured PA and different clinical adiposity measures in a large sample of preschoolers. Methods Four hundred sixty-three predominantly normal-weight (77%) 2–6-year-old preschool children participated in the Swiss Preschoolers’ Health Study (SPLASHY). Physical activity was measured using accelerometers and was analyzed using 15-s (uni-axial) epoch length using validated cut-offs. Adiposity measures included body mass index (BMI), the sum of four skinfolds, and waist circumference (WC). Multilevel linear regression modeling, adjusted for age, sex and wear time, was used to assess the association between PA and SB with BMI, WC, and skinfold thickness. Results Total PA and different PA intensities were positively and SB was inversely associated with BMI in the total sample and in the normal-weight children (p < 0.05). Total PA was inversely associated with skinfold thickness in overweight and obese children (p < 0.05), while there was only a weak association for vigorous PA (p > 0.05). Moderate and moderate-to-vigorous PA were positively, and SB was negatively associated with WC in the total sample and in the normal-weight children (p < 0.05). Additional adjustment for potential sociocultural and biological confounding variables attenuated some of the results. Conclusions In this very young and predominantly normal-weight population, PA is positively related to BMI and WC, but this relationship is not observed in overweight and obese children. In this latter population, PA is inversely, and SB is positively related to skinfold thickness. Skinfold thickness could represent a useful and simple clinical measure of body fat in preschoolers. The role of vigorous PA in the prevention of early childhood obesity should be further investigated in future studies. Trial registration ISRCTN ISRCTN41045021. Retrospectively registered 06 May 2014.

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Patterns of objectively measured physical activity in normal weight, overweight, and obese individuals (20-85 years): a cross-sectional study.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.717970451.793468942 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Nick Finer

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Normal Weight ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Objectively Measured ◽

Objectively Measured Physical Activity

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Associations Between Children’s Physical Activity, Pain and Injuries

Perceptual and Motor Skills ◽

10.1177/00315125211028455 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 003151252110284

Author(s):

João Paulo de Aguiar Greca ◽

Thomas Korff ◽

Jennifer Ryan

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Generalized Estimating Equations ◽

Weight Status ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Moderating Effect ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Excessive Weight ◽

Objectively Measured ◽

Children’S Physical Activity

Our aim in this study was to investigate the relationships between physical activity (PA), pain, and injury among children. Secondarily, we examined whether these relationships differed between children with normal versus excessive weight or obesity. This was a cross-sectional study of 102 children (57 girls) aged 8–12 years old. We assessed the prevalence of moderate and vigorous PA using accelerometry over a seven-day period. We examined the associations between moderate PA, vigorous PA, pain presence, and injury presence using generalized estimating equations with a logit link and binomial distribution. We adjusted the obtained models for potential confounders and explored the moderating effect of weight status. We found no association between moderate PA and pain, but time spent in vigorous PA was associated with pain. Neither moderate or vigorous PA were associated with injury, and there was no moderating effect of weight status in these relationships. In summary, we found that objectively measured vigorous PA is associated with pain among 8–12 year old children. While these results should be replicated in longitudinal studies, they suggest that an association between vigorous PA and pain should be considered when developing PA interventions for children.

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Objectively measured physical activity, physical activity related personality and body mass index in 6- to 10-yr-old children: a cross-sectional study

International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity ◽

10.1186/1479-5868-6-25 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 25 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

Benedicte Deforche ◽

Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij ◽

Eva D'hondt ◽

Greet Cardon

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Body Mass Index ◽

Body Mass ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Objectively Measured ◽

Objectively Measured Physical Activity ◽

Related Personality

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Objectively measured sedentary behavior and physical activity in a sample of Finnish adults: a cross-sectional study

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-016-3591-y ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 40

Author(s):

Pauliina Husu ◽

Jaana Suni ◽

Henri Vähä-Ypyä ◽

Harri Sievänen ◽

Kari Tokola ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Sedentary Behavior ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Objectively Measured

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Association between objectively measured body composition, sleep parameters and physical activity in preschool children: a cross-sectional study

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-042669 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. e042669

Author(s):

Justyna Wyszyńska ◽

Piotr Matłosz ◽

Muhammad Asif ◽

Agnieszka Szybisty ◽

Paweł Lenik ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Body Composition ◽

Preschool Children ◽

Muscle Mass ◽

Sleep Duration ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Sleep Parameters ◽

Objectively Measured

ObjectiveAssociations between self-reported sleep duration and obesity indices in children are well recognised; however, there are no studies on associations between objectively measured other sleep parameters and physical activity with body composition in preschoolers. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the associations between sleep parameters and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) with body composition indices in preschoolers using objective measures.DesignA cross-sectional study.ParticipantsThe study group consisted of 676 children aged 5–6 years, who were enrolled in kindergartens in the 2017/2018 school year.Outcome measuresSleep parameters and MVPA were measured using accelerometers for 7 days. Bioelectrical impedance analysis was used to estimate body composition.ResultsSleep duration and sleep efficiency were inversely associated with body fat percentage (BFP) (β=−0.013 and β from –0.311 to −0.359, respectively) and body mass index (BMI) (β from −0.005 to −0.006 and from −0.105 to –0.121, respectively), and directly associated with fat-free mass (FFM) (β from 0.010 to 0.011 and from 0.245 to 0.271, respectively) and muscle mass (β from 0.012 to 0.012 and from 0.277 to 0.307, respectively) in unadjusted and adjusted models. BFP was inversely associated with MVPA and positively associated with number of awakenings and sleep periods. Number of sleep periods was inversely associated with FFM, and positively with BMI and muscle mass. Correlation matrix indicated significant correlation between BFP, FFM and muscle mass with sleep duration, sleep efficiency, number of sleep periods and MVPA.ConclusionsPeriodic assessment of sleep parameters and MVPA in relation to body composition in preschool children may be considered, especially in those who are at risk for obesity.

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International Comparison of the Levels and Potential Correlates of Objectively Measured Sedentary Time and Physical Activity among Three-to-Four-Year-Old Children

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16111929 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (11) ◽

pp. 1929 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Kaiseree Dias ◽

James White ◽

Russell Jago ◽

Greet Cardon ◽

Rachel Davey ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Parental Education ◽

Sedentary Time ◽

Linear Regression Models ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Usa ◽

Day Of The Week ◽

The Uk ◽

Objectively Measured ◽

Multilevel Linear Regression

Physical activity (PA) patterns track from childhood through to adulthood. The study aimed to determine the levels and correlates of sedentary time (ST), total PA (TPA), and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) in preschool-aged children. We conducted cross-sectional analyses of 1052 children aged three-to-four-years-old from six studies included in the International Children’s Accelerometry Database. Multilevel linear regression models adjusting for age, gender, season, minutes of wear time, and study clustering effects were used to estimate associations between age, gender, country, season, ethnicity, parental education, day of the week, time of sunrise, time of sunset, and hours of daylight and the daily minutes spent in ST, TPA, and MVPA. Across the UK, Switzerland, Belgium, and the USA, children in our analysis sample spent 490 min in ST per day and 30.0% and 21.2% of children did not engage in recommended daily TPA (≥180 min) and MVPA (≥60 min) guidelines. There was evidence for an association between all 10 potential correlates analyzed and at least one of the outcome variables; average daily minutes spent in ST, TPA and/or MVPA. These correlates can inform the design of public health interventions internationally to decrease ST and increase PA in preschoolers.

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Benefits of pedometer-measured habitual physical activity in healthy women

Applied Physiology Nutrition and Metabolism ◽

10.1139/h11-145 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 37 (1) ◽

pp. 149-156 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Scheila Karen Graff ◽

Bruna Cherubini Alves ◽

Mariana Kirjner Toscani ◽

Poli Mara Spritzer

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Metabolic Profile ◽

Skinfold Thickness ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Habitual Physical Activity ◽

Reproductive Age ◽

Fat Percentage ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Class I Obesity ◽

Healthy Women

This cross-sectional study aimed at (i) characterizing pedometer-determined physical activity and (ii) examining its associations with dietary intake and anthropometric and metabolic profile in healthy women. Anthropometric and metabolic profile was evaluated in 68 healthy women of reproductive age. Habitual physical activity was assessed using a pedometer for 6 consecutive days, including weekends. Participants were stratified into active and inactive according to the mean steps·day–1(≥6000 and <6000, respectively). Food consumption was evaluated by 24-h recall in a subsample of 35 participants. Thirty-eight women were defined as active and had significantly lower body mass index (BMI), fat percentage, waist circumference, sum of skinfold thickness, insulin, and HOMA than the sedentary group. Mean BMI was 27 kg·m–2(overweight) in active participants and 31 kg·m–2(class I obesity) in inactive participants. Active women consumed more carbohydrates (55.5% ± 9.4% vs. 46.3% ± 7.6%) and calories (2138 ± 679 vs. 1664 ± 558 kcal), and less protein (15.4% ± 4.2% vs. 19.9% ± 5.8%) and lipids (29.0% ± 7.2% vs. 33.8% ± 6.2%) than inactive individuals (p < 0.05). Fiber, cholesterol, and fatty acid intake was similar in both groups. The number of steps was lower on Sunday than on weekdays for the overall group. Using a pedometer for 3 days was sufficient to determine habitual physical activity (sensitivity: 94%; specificity 91% vs. 6 days of pedometer use). In the present study, nonstructured physical activity was associated with more adequate dietary consumption and contributed toward a healthier anthropometric and metabolic profile in young women, despite the high prevalence of overweight.

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