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

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.

What Do Preschool Teachers and Parents Think about the Influence of Screen-Time Exposure on Children’s Development? Challenges and Opportunities

Children’s exposure to screens has been increasing in recent years and so has the concern about its impact on children’s development. This study aims to analyze preschool teachers’ and parents’ views on the influence of screen-time exposure on children’s development. Semi-structured interviews with preschool teachers (n = 9), as well as data from a previous quantitative study, based on an online questionnaire applied to parents of children in preschool (n = 266) were used for data collection. For this study, eminently of qualitative nature, the following dimensions were analyzed: children’s habits of exposure to screens at home, changes in children’s play habits at school, strategies/methodologies used by preschool teachers, use of technologies at school and children’s language development. The results from the study with parents show that screen-time exposure of children is between 1 h to 2 h of television per day, mostly to watch cartoons. Parents also report that most of the children use vocabulary in other languages at home. Most preschool teachers agreed that children are changing their play habits and mainly their behaviors and attitudes, influenced by screen-time exposure. They believe that language development is also changing, mentioning more language problems in children. Changes in pedagogic strategies and specialized training on educational technology are needed to get closer to children’s interests.

Screen Time, Age and Sunshine Duration Rather Than Outdoor Activity Time Are Related to Nutritional Vitamin D Status in Children With ASD

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the possible association among vitamin D, screen time and other factors that might affect the concentration of vitamin D in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).Methods: In total, 306 children with ASD were recruited, and data, including their age, sex, height, weight, screen time, time of outdoor activity, ASD symptoms [including Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC), Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) and Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule–Second Edition (ADOS-2)] and vitamin D concentrations, were collected. A multiple linear regression model was used to analyze the factors related to the vitamin D concentration.Results: A multiple linear regression analysis showed that screen time (β = −0.122, P = 0.032), age (β = −0.233, P &lt; 0.001), and blood collection month (reflecting sunshine duration) (β = 0.177, P = 0.004) were statistically significant. The vitamin D concentration in the children with ASD was negatively correlated with screen time and age and positively correlated with sunshine duration.Conclusion: The vitamin D levels in children with ASD are related to electronic screen time, age and sunshine duration. Since age and season are uncontrollable, identifying the length of screen time in children with ASD could provide a basis for the clinical management of their vitamin D nutritional status.

Associations Between Parents’ Health and Social Control Behaviors and Their Adolescent’s Self-Efficacy and Health Behaviors: Insights From the Family Life, Activity, Sun, Health, and Eating (FLASHE) survey

Background Parents can influence their children to live healthier lifestyles by modeling healthy behaviors and/or trying to persuade their children to engage in healthier activities. Adolescents and their parents tend to have similar eating and exercise patterns, but less is known about the simultaneous influence of parent’s health behavior and social control on adolescents’ self-efficacy and health behaviors, including whether their effect is moderated by parenting style. Purpose We examine the degree to which parents’ social control and health behaviors are associated with their adolescent’s self-efficacy and health behaviors, including whether parenting styles moderate these associations. Method We analyzed data from the Family Life, Activity, Sun, Health, and Eating project. Results We found that parents’ own health behaviors are positively and strongly associated with their adolescent’s health behaviors across four domains: fruit/vegetable consumption, junk food consumption, physical activity, and nonacademic screen time. We found positive, moderate-to-strong associations between parents’ use of social control and their adolescents’ fruit/vegetable and junk food consumption, small negative associations with screen time, and no associations with physical activity. The effects of social control for junk food consumption and screen time, however, depended on parents’ own behavior in those domains. Parent responsiveness moderated the relation between parents’ social control and their adolescent children’s self-efficacy and health behaviors. Conclusions The health behaviors parents model and their social control efforts are associated with their adolescents’ beliefs and behavior. Efforts to leverage parents as sources of influence must consider the context in which influence is enacted.

Setting Limits on Screen Time for Children (6-to-12 Years): The Integral Role of Parents and Educators.

This paper investigates the effects of screen time on child development and cognition and the setting of ‘safe’ screen time limits for young children, specifically children aged 6-to-12 years. Guidelines on screen time vary across constituencies, and the debate around screen time is contentious with many questions yet to be answered. A review of literature was undertaken to compare current screen time recommendations against the evidence from Neuroscience, Psychiatry, Psychology and Pediatrics that quantify screen time effects on the children's brain development. Based on this comparison, conclusions are made that can guide education policies around ‘remote learning’ and ‘home schooling’ to align them with the available research on the effects of screen time on children and inform a re-evaluation of the role of parents and educators in the setting of ‘safe’ limits on screen time.

Recommended dairy intake is associated with healthy dietary habits, better physical fitness, less obesity, and a healthier lifestyle profile in school-age children

This study aimed to identify the association of recommended dairy intake with several dietary habits, obesity, physical fitness, physical activity, screen time, and sleep. Population data were derived from a health survey on a representative sample of 177091 children aged 8 to 17 years. Dairy intake and dietary habits were evaluated using questionnaires (KIDMED index). Participants were characterized as “dairy products consumers” based on whether they met current recommendations for milk or dairy consumption (e.g. if they consumed two yogurts and/or 40 g cheese and a cup of milk, daily). Participants who did not consume the above-mentioned quantities were characterized as “non-consumers.” Anthropometric and physical fitness (PF) data were obtained by trained investigators. Physical activity (PA) status, screen time, and sleeping habits were assessed through self-completed questionnaires. Boys and girls consuming recommended dairy products were 25% (95% CI: 0·71-0·79) and 43% (95% CI: 0·51-0·64) less likely to have low performances in cardiorespiratory fitness tests, Participants from both sexes classified as dairy products consumers had lower odds of central obesity by 10%(95% CI: 0·86-0·95), as compared to non-consumers. Also, boys and girls who consume recommended dairy products had 9% (95% CI: 0·86-0·98) and 11%(95% CI: 0·85-0·94) lower odds to be overweight/obese as compared to non-consumers, after adjusting for several covariates. Moreover, recommended dairy products consumers had lower odds for insufficient sleep by 8% (95% CI: 0·89-0·96) in boys and 14% (95% CI: 0·83-0·90) in girls, for inadequate PA levels by 15% (95% CI: 0·77-0·93) in boys and 16% (95% CI: 0·76-0·90) in girls and for increased screen time by 11% (95% CI: 0·83-0·95) in boys and 9% (95% CI: 0·85-0·97) in girls, than no-consumers. In conclusion, recommended dairy intake is associated with less obesity, better PF, and a healthier lifestyle profile.

Early-life activities mediate the association between family socioeconomic status in early childhood and physical fitness in early adolescence

The graded association between family socioeconomic status (SES) and physical fitness is evident, but little is known about the mechanism underlying this association. This study investigated the role of early-life activities as mediators of the longitudinal relationship between early-life SES and health-related physical fitness in 168 adolescents (51.2% boys; final mean age: 12.4 years old). In Wave 1 (2011–12), their parents completed questionnaires about family socioeconomic status (SES), parent–child activities, and child screen time. In Wave 2 (2014–15), participants’ physical activity levels were assessed through parent proxy-reports. In Wave 3 (2018–19), a direct assessment of handgrip strength, standing long-jump, and 6-min walk test (6MWT) performance was conducted. After controlling for demographic factors, results of mediation analyses revealed that (a) Wave 1 SES predicted Wave 3 long-jump and 6MWT performance; (b) child physical activity level in Wave 2 mediated the relation between Wave 1 SES and standing long-jump performance in Wave 3; and (c) recreational parent–child activities and child screen time in wave 1 mediated the relation between Wave 1 SES and 6MWT performance in Wave 3. Our findings suggest that the type and frequency of early-life activities play a role in the graded association between childhood SES and physical fitness in adolescence.