Physical activity in early childhood: a five-year longitudinal analysis of patterns and correlates

Gendered relations? Associations between Swedish parents, siblings, and adolescents' time spent sedentary and physically active

Introduction

The family is assumed to be fundamental in youth socialization processes and development, connected to social and cultural practices such as healthy lifestyles and physical activity. However, gender patterns in physical activity among adolescents and the structural drivers of gender inequality (e.g., parentage and siblingship) are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to explore further how gender structures relate to adolescents' time spent being sedentary and physically active, using contemporary gender theory.

Methods

This cross-sectional study involved 1,139 adolescents aged 13-14 and their parents, including 815 mothers and 572 fathers. Physical activity and time spent sedentary were assessed through accelerometry among adolescents and through a self-report questionnaire for parents validated against accelerometry.

Results

The results showed significant relationships between mothers' moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and girls' MVPA on weekdays and weekends, and fathers' MVPA was significantly related to girls' MVPA on weekdays. Our results imply that the relationship between Swedish parents' and adolescent girls' physical activity in higher intensities are to some extent gendered practices. However, time spent sedentary does not seem to show any patterns of being performed according to binary ideas of gender. Further, our exploratory analyses suggest that these results somewhat intersect with parents' educational level and relate to intra-categorical aspects of doing gender. The results also indicate slight gendered patterns in the "doing" of brotherhood for time spent sedentary, however, for boys only on weekends.

Discussion

The study contributes to the understanding of gender norms as constraints and enablers for adolescents' participation in physical activity. The results can spur public health and physical activity research to apply a contemporary gender theory approach, and to expand the research agenda connected to what relates to gender inequalities in physical activity practices.

Risk factors for overweight and obesity after childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia in North America and Switzerland: A comparison of two cohort studies

BACKGROUND

After childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), sequelae include overweight and obesity, yet with conflicting evidence. We compared the prevalence of overweight and obesity between ≥5-year ALL survivors from the North American Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS) and the Swiss Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (SCCSS) and described risk factors.

METHODS

We included adult childhood ALL survivors diagnosed between 1976 and 1999. We matched CCSS participants (3:1) to SCCSS participants by sex and attained age. We calculated body mass index (BMI) from self-reported height and weight for 1287 CCSS and 429 SCCSS participants; we then compared those with siblings (2034) in North America and Switzerland (678) siblings. We assessed risk factors for overweight (BMI 25-29.9 kg/m2 ) and obesity (≥30 kg/m2 ) using multinomial regression.

RESULTS

We found overweight and obesity significantly more common among survivors in North America when compared with survivors in Switzerland [overweight: 30%, 95% confidence interval (CI): 27-32 vs. 24%, 21-29; obesity: 29%, 27-32 vs. 7%, 5-10] and siblings (overweight: 30%, 27-32 vs. 25%, 22-29; obesity: 24%, 22-26 vs. 6%, 4-8). Survivors in North America [odds ratio (OR) = 1.24, 1.01-1.53] and Switzerland (1.27, 0.74-2.21) were slightly more often obese than siblings. Among survivors, risk factors for obesity included residency in North America (5.8, 3.7-9.0); male (1.7, 1.3-2.3); attained age (≥45 years: 5.1, 2.4-10.8); Non-Hispanic Black (3.4, 1.6-7.0); low household income (2.3, 1.4-3.5); young age at diagnosis (1.6, 1.1-2.2). Cranial radiotherapy ≥18 Gray was only a risk factor for overweight (1.4, 1.0-1.8); steroids were not associated with overweight or obesity. Interaction tests found no evidence of difference in risk factors between cohorts.

CONCLUSIONS

Although treatment-related risk for overweight and obesity were similar between regions, higher prevalence among survivors in North America identifies important sociodemographic drivers for informing health policy and targeted intervention trials.

Parent-Offspring Associations in Body Composition: Findings From the Southampton Women's Survey Prospective Cohort Study

CONTEXT

Children born to parents who are overweight or obese have a high risk of adult obesity, but it is unclear if transgenerational associations relating to unfavorable body composition differ by parent.

OBJECTIVE

To examine differential mother-offspring and father-offspring associations in body composition in early childhood.

METHODS

A total of 240 mother-father-offspring trios from a prospective UK population-based pre-birth cohort (Southampton Women's Survey) were included for anthropometry and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry assessment of whole-body-less-head body composition in the offspring at 3 different ages (4, 6-7, and 8-9 years) and in the mother and father at the 8- to 9-year offspring visit. Associations were assessed using linear regression adjusting for the other parent.

RESULTS

Positive associations between mother-daughter body mass index (BMI) and fat mass were observed at ages 6 to 7 (BMI: β = .29 SD/SD, 95% CI = .10, .48; fat mass β = .27 SD/SD, 95% CI = .05, .48) and 8 to 9 years (BMI: β = .33 SD/SD, 95% CI = .13, .54; fat mass β = .31 SD/SD, 95% CI = .12, .49), with similar associations at age 4 years but bounding the 95% CI. The mother-son, father-son, and father-daughter associations for BMI and fat mass were weaker at each of the ages studied.

CONCLUSION

A strong association between the fat mass of mothers and their daughters but not their sons was observed. In contrast, father-offspring body composition associations were not evident. The dimorphic parent-offspring effects suggest particular attention should be given to early prevention of unfavorable body composition in girls born to mothers with excess adiposity.

Physical Activity Trajectories in Early Childhood: Investigating Personal, Environmental, and Participation Factors

INTRODUCTION/PURPOSE

To determine personal, environmental, and participation factors that predict children's physical activity (PA) trajectories from preschool through to school years.

METHODS

Two hundred seventy-nine children (4.5 ± 0.9 yr, 52% boys) were included in this study. Physical activity was collected via accelerometry at six different timepoints over 6.3 ± 0.6 yr. Time-stable variables were collected at baseline and included child's sex and ethnicity. Time-dependent variables were collected at six timepoints (age, years) and included household income (CAD), parental total PA, parental influence on PA, and parent-reported child's quality of life, child's sleep, and child's amount of weekend outdoor PA. Group-based trajectory modeling was applied to identify trajectories of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and total PA (TPA). Multivariable regression analysis identified personal, environmental, and participation factors associated with trajectory membership.

RESULTS

Three trajectories were identified for each of MVPA and TPA. Group 3 in MVPA and TPA expressed the most PA over time, with increased activity from timepoints 1 to 3, and then declining from timepoints 4 to 6. For the group 3 MVPA trajectory, male sex (β estimate, 3.437; P = 0.001) and quality of life (β estimate, 0.513; P < 0.001) were the only significant correlates for group membership. For the group 3 TPA trajectory, male sex (β estimate, 1.970; P = 0.035), greater household income (β estimate, 94.615; P < 0.001), and greater parental total PA (β estimate, 0.574; P = 0.023) increased the probability of belonging to this trajectory group.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest a need for interventions and public health campaigns to increase opportunities for PA engagement in girls starting in the early years. Policies and programs to address financial inequities, positive parental modeling, and improving quality of life are also warranted.

Schooltime's contribution to pupils' physical activity levels: A longitudinal study

Introduction

Pupils spend a significant portion of their time at school. As a result, the school serves as an important setting for both learning and the formation of healthy behaviors. Many children, and even fewer young people, do not fulfill the (inter)national health recommendations of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day. The aim of this study was to examine pupils' MVPA during schooltime in a longitudinal perspective, including the transition from primary to secondary school.

Methods

The MVPA of 234 pupils' was measured objectively using accelerometer monitors for seven consecutive days, in the spring of 2017, 2018, and 2019. Statistical analyses by Friedman, Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney U-test were used to answer the research questions.

Results

The results showed a significant decrease in the pupils' MVPA and fulfilment of health recommendations during schooltime, from 7^th to 8^th grade. The analyses also showed that MVPA during schooltime was higher among boys than girls, and also contributed more to boys' fulfilment of the health recommendations at all three time periods.

Discussion

The results indicate that the transition between primary and secondary school is vulnerable concerning pupils' MVPA during schooltime. As schooltime accounted for significantly more MVPA for boys than for girls at all three time periods, we question whether physical activity is sufficiently facilitated for girls in school.

Physical Activity among U.S. Preschool-Aged Children: Application of Machine Learning Physical Activity Classification to the 2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey National Youth Fitness Survey

Early childhood is an important development period for establishing healthy physical activity (PA) habits. The objective of this study was to evaluate PA levels in a representative sample of U.S. preschool-aged children. The study sample included 301 participants (149 girls, 3-5 years of age) in the 2012 U.S. National Health and Examination Survey National Youth Fitness Survey. Participants were asked to wear an ActiGraph accelerometer on their wrist for 7 days. A machine learning random forest classification algorithm was applied to accelerometer data to estimate daily time spent in moderate- and vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA; the sum of minutes spent in running, walking, and other moderate- and vigorous-intensity PA) and total PA (the sum of MVPA and light-intensity PA). We estimated that U.S. preschool-aged children engaged in 28 min/day of MVPA and 361 min/day of total PA, on average. MVPA and total PA levels were not significantly different between males and females. This study revealed that U.S. preschool-aged children engage in lower levels of MVPA and higher levels of total PA than the minimum recommended by the World Health Organization.