Health Related Behaviours in Normal Weight and Overweight Preschoolers of a Large Pan-European Sample: The ToyBox-Study

Longitudinal associations between diet quality, sedentary behaviours and physical activity and risk of overweight and obesity in preschool children: The ToyBox-study

BACKGROUND

Lifestyle behaviours related to diet and physical activity are associated with increased risk of obesity and evidence suggests that associations might be stronger when a synergetic effect is examined.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between diet, screen time (ST) and step recommendations and risk of overweight and obesity in European preschoolers participating in the ToyBox-study.

METHODS

In this cluster-randomized clinical trial, 718 children (51.4% boys) from six European countries participated. Parents filled out questionnaires with information on socio-demographic status, step recommendations and ST.

RESULTS

Longitudinal results indicate that participants having a low Diet Quality Index (DQI), not meeting ST and step recommendations at T0 and T1 had higher odds of having overweight/obesity at T1 (odds ratio [OR] = 1.116; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.104-2.562) than those children having a high DQI and meeting ST and step recommendations at T0 and T1. Similarly, participants having a high DQI, but not meeting ST and step recommendations at T0 and T1 had increased odds of having overweight/obesity (OR = 2.515; 95% CI = 1.171-3.021).

CONCLUSIONS

The proportion of participants having a low DQI, not adhering to both step and ST recommendations was very high, and it was associated with a higher probability of having overweight and obesity.

Food consumption patterns related to excess weight and obesity in Spanish preschoolers

PURPOSE

The aims of this study were (1) to identify the different food consumption patterns among Spanish preschoolers and (2) to examine the association between having a different food consumption pattern and the odds of having excess weight (i.e., overweight or obesity) or obesity among this population.

METHODS

This was a nationwide cross-sectional study with data from the Spanish National Health Survey-2017. All preschoolers (aged 3-5 years) with complete information on all the variables analyzed were selected. The frequency of consumption of the fourteen food groups was evaluated by a food frequency questionnaire. Excess weight/obesity were computed following the World Health Organization criteria. A hierarchical cluster analysis using Ward's method (i.e., based on squared Euclidean distances) and k-means were performed including all food group consumption. A total sample of 663 was included in the cluster analysis.

RESULTS

Three different clusters were established. Compared to the healthiest food consumption pattern (Cluster 1), higher odds of excess weight (OR = 1.51; CI: 95%, 1.02-2.25) and obesity (OR = 1.59; CI: 95%, 1.01-2.51) were found for participants with the unhealthiest food consumption pattern (Cluster 3).

CONCLUSION

Having a food consumption pattern considered unhealthy (i.e., low intake of vegetables/fruits, high consumption of confectionery products, sugar-sweetened beverages, fast-food, and snacks) was associated with presenting excess weight/obesity among Spanish preschoolers.

IMPACT

No studies have examined the specific food consumption patterns associated with excess weight or obesity among Spanish preschoolers. The unhealthiest food consumption pattern was characterized by a food consumption pattern that included a lower intake of vegetables and fruits and a higher consumption of confectionery products, sugar-sweetened beverages, fast-food, and snacks. Having a food consumption pattern considered unhealthy was associated with a higher prevalence of excess weight and obesity in comparison with other healthier food consumption patterns.

Do Children and Adolescents with Overweight or Obesity Adhere to the National Food-Based Dietary Guidelines in Greece?

Childhood obesity increases the risk for metabolic disorders, but is also related to nutritional deficiencies, such as anemia and hypovitaminosis D. Although children/adolescents with overweight/obesity may have higher energy intake, their diet quality and diversity may be low. The present study aimed to evaluate the consumption of foods against the national food-based dietary guidelines in children and adolescents with overweight or obesity in Greece. Sociodemographic, anthropometric and lifestyle data were collected from a sample of 1467 children 2–18 years old (962 obese, 505 overweight, 51.2% females) in 2014–2017. The results of this study show that the consumption of dairy products, fruit, vegetables, legumes and fish by children/adolescents with overweight or obesity was lower than the national recommendations (ranging from a minimum of 39.5% for fish, to a maximum of 75.5% for cereal/potato/rice). Only the consumption of meat/poultry was found to exceed the national recommendation (estimated coverage of 131.3%). Moreover, a large proportion of participants regularly consumed various unhealthy foods/beverages. The present findings indicate that the majority of children/adolescents with overweight/obesity do not comply with the national food-based dietary guidelines in Greece. The implementation of new strategies to promote healthy diets among children/adolescents with overweight/obesity are urgently required.

A Mobile App to Increase Fruit and Vegetable Acceptance Among Finnish and Polish Preschoolers: Randomized Trial

Background

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) centers are ideal venues for food education. As smartphones and tablets are becoming increasingly popular in ECEC centers, technology can be used to deliver such pedagogical content. Evidence suggests that video games can affect fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption among 9- to 12-year-old children, but studies among preschoolers are scarce.

Objective

This paper describes the development of the Mole’s Veggie Adventures app and its effectiveness in increasing FV acceptance among Finnish and Polish preschoolers aged 3 to 6 years.

Methods

A multiprofessional team created an app to be used in ECEC centers in groups of 3 to 10 children. The app aimed to increase vegetable acceptance, and it was built using elements that support the development of self-regulation and social skills. Altogether, 7 Finnish and 4 Polish ECEC centers participated in the study. Before randomization, parents reported background factors and their children’s willingness to taste different FVs. The ECEC professionals in the intervention arm were instructed to use the app at least once a week during the 3- to 4-week intervention period. The main outcomes in this unblinded, cluster-randomized study were FV acceptance and relative FV acceptance. The first was calculated as a sum variable describing the children’s willingness to taste 25 different FVs, the second as FV acceptance divided by the number of FVs served. We used analysis of covariance to compare the FV acceptance and relative FV acceptance scores between the intervention and control groups at follow-up.

Results

A total of 221 children were included in the analysis. At follow-up, the intervention group (115/221, 52%) had higher FV acceptance scores (baseline adjusted difference of mean 7.22; 95% CI 1.41-13.03) than the control group (106/221, 48%). The intervention effect was parallel for relative FV acceptance scores (baseline adjusted difference of mean 0.28; 95% CI 0.05-0.52).

Conclusions

The Mole’s Veggie Adventures app has the potential to increase FV acceptance among preschoolers and can be a valuable tool in supporting food education in ECEC centers. Furthermore, the app can be feasibly incorporated into preschool routines in countries with different educational environments.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05173311; https://tinyurl.com/4vfbh283

Breastfeeding and Overweight in European Preschoolers: The ToyBox Study

The benefits of breastfeeding (BF) include risk reduction of later overweight and obesity. We aimed to analyse the association between breastfeeding practices and overweight/obesity among preschool children participating in the ToyBox study. Data from children in the six countries, participating in the ToyBox-study (Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Poland, and Spain) 7554 children/families and their age is 3.5–5.5 years, 51.9% were boys collected cross-sectionally in 2012. The questionnaires included parents’ self-reported data on their weight, height, socio-demographic status, and infant feeding practices. Measurements of preschool children’s weight and height were done by trained researchers using standard protocols and equipment. The ever breastfeeding rate in the total sample was 85.0% (n = 5777). Only 6.3% (n = 428) of the children from the general sample were exclusively breastfed (EBF) for the duration of the first six months. EBF for four to six months was significantly (p < 0.001) less likely among mothers with formal education < 12 years (adjusted Odds Ratio (OR) = 0.61; 95% Confidence interval (CI) 0.44–0.85), smoking throughout pregnancy (adjusted OR = 0.39; 95% CI 0.24–0.62), overweight before pregnancy (adjusted OR = 0.67; 95%CI 0.47–0.95) and ≤25 years old. The median duration of any breastfeeding was five months. The prevalence of exclusive formula feeding during the first five months in the general sample was about 12% (n = 830). The prevalence of overweight and obesity at preschool age was 8.0% (n = 542) and 2.8% (n = 190), respectively. The study did not identify any significant association between breastfeeding practices and obesity in childhood when adjusted for relevant confounding factors (p > 0.05). It is likely that sociodemographic and lifestyle factors associated with breastfeeding practices may have an impact on childhood obesity. The identified lower than desirable rates and duration of breastfeeding practices should prompt enhanced efforts for effective promotion, protection, and support of breastfeeding across Europe, and in particular in regions with low BF rates.

Measurement of screen time among young children aged 0-6 years: A systematic review

The impact of screen-based devices on children's health and development cannot be properly understood without valid and reliable tools that measure screen time within the evolving digital landscape. This review aimed to summarize characteristics of measurement tools used to assess screen time in young children; evaluate reporting of psychometric properties; and examine time trends related to measurement and reporting of screen time. A systematic review of articles published in English across three databases from January 2009 to April 2020 was undertaken using PROSPERO protocol (registration: CRD42019132599) and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Included articles measured screen time as outcome, exposure, or confounder in children 0-6 years. The search identified 35,868 records, 1035 full-text articles were screened for eligibility, and 622 met inclusion criteria. Most measures (60%) consisted of one to three items and assessed duration of screen time on a usual day. Few measures assessed content (11%) or coviewing (7%). Only 40% of articles provided a citation for the measure, and only 69 (11%) reported psychometric properties-reliability n = 58, validity n = 19, reliability and validity n = 8. Between 2009 and 2019, the number of published articles increased from 28 to 71. From 2015, there was a notable increase in the proportion of articles published each year that assessed exposure to mobile devices in addition to television. The increasing number of published articles reflects increasing interest in screen time exposure among young children. Measures of screen time have generally evolved to reflect children's contemporary digital landscape; however, the psychometric properties of measurement tools are rarely reported. There is a need for improved measures and reporting to capture the complexity of children's screen time exposures.

Compliance with the 24-Hour Movement Behavior Guidelines and Associations with Adiposity in European Preschoolers: Results from the ToyBox-Study

In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) published 24 h movement behavior guidelines for preschoolers with recommendations for physical activity (PA), screen time (ST), and sleep. The present study investigated the proportion of preschoolers complying with these guidelines (on a total week, weekdays and weekend days), and the associations with adiposity. This cross-sectional study included 2468 preschoolers (mean age: 4.75 years; 41.9% boys) from six European countries. The associations were investigated in the total sample and in girls and boys separately. PA was objectively assessed by step counts/day. Parent-reported questionnaires provided ST and sleep duration data. Generalized estimating equations were used to analyze the association between guideline compliance and adiposity indicators, i.e., body mass index (BMI) z-score and waist to height ratio (WHR). Only 10.1% of the preschoolers complied with the 24 h movement behavior guidelines, 69.2% with the sleep duration guideline, 39.8% with the ST guideline and 32.7% with the PA guideline. No association was found between guideline compliance with all three movement behaviors and adiposity. However, associations were found for isolated weekday screen time (BMI z-scores and WHR: p = 0.04) and weekend day sleep duration (BMI z-scores and WHR: p = 0.03) guideline compliance with both lower adiposity indicators. The latter association for sleep duration was also found in girls separately (BMI z-scores: p = 0.02; WHR: p = 0.03), but not in boys. Longitudinal studies, including intervention studies, are needed to increase preschoolers’ guideline compliance and to gain more insight into the manifestation of adiposity in children and its association with 24 h movement behaviors from a young age onwards.

Weekday-Weekend Sedentary Behavior and Recreational Screen Time Patterns in Families with Preschoolers, Schoolchildren, and Adolescents: Cross-Sectional Three Cohort Study

Background: Excessive recreational screen time (RST) has been associated with negative health consequences already being apparent in preschoolers. Therefore, the aim of this study was to reveal parent-child sedentary behavior, and RST patterns and associations with respect to the gender, age category of children, and days of the week. Methods: Our cross-sectional survey included 1175 parent-child dyads with proxy-reported RST data collected during a regular school week during the spring and fall between 2013 and 2019. The parent-child RST (age and RST) relationship was quantified using Pearson’s (r_P) correlation coefficient. Results: Weekends were characterized by longer RST for all family members (daughters/sons: +34/+33 min/day, mothers/fathers: +43/+14 min/day) and closer parent-child RST associations than on weekdays. The increasing age of children was positively associated with an increase in RST on weekdays (+6.4/+7.2 min per year of age of the daughter/son) and weekends (+5.8/+7.5 min per year of age of the daughter/son). Conclusions: Weekends provide a suitable target for implementation of programs aimed at reducing excessive RST involving not only children, but preferably parent-child dyads.

Complementary Feeding and Overweight in European Preschoolers: The ToyBox-Study

Complementary feeding (CF) should start between 4–6 months of age to ensure infants’ growth but is also linked to childhood obesity. This study aimed to investigate the association of the timing of CF, breastfeeding and overweight in preschool children. Infant-feeding practices were self-reported in 2012 via a validated questionnaire by >7500 parents from six European countries participating in the ToyBox-study. The proportion of children who received breast milk and CF at 4–6 months was 51.2%. There was a positive association between timing of solid food (SF) introduction and duration of breastfeeding, as well as socioeconomic status and a negative association with smoking throughout pregnancy (p < 0.005). No significant risk to become overweight was observed among preschoolers who were introduced to SF at 1–3 months of age compared to those introduced at 4–6 months regardless of the type of milk feeding. Similarly, no significant association was observed between the early introduction of SF and risk for overweight in preschoolers who were breastfed for ≥4 months or were formula-fed. The study did not identify any significant association between the timing of introducing SF and obesity in childhood. It is likely that other factors than timing of SF introduction may have impact on childhood obesity.

Comparison of health-promoting behaviours, eating behaviour patterns and perceived social support in normal-weight and overweight pregnant women: An unmatched case-control study

Aim

The interventions based on adopting a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy have conflicting results. This study aimed to compare health-promoting, dietary patterns and social support in normal and overweight pregnant women.

Design

An unmatched case-control design was used.

Methods

A total of 360 pregnant women were selected using multistage cluster sampling and divided into two groups of normal and overweight cases. Data were collected using demographic and obstetrics characteristics, health-promoting lifestyle, perceived social support and eating behaviour questionnaires.

Results

The evaluation of the health-promoting behaviours and dietary patterns demonstrated a significant difference between the mean of total scores and their subdomains including self-actualization, nutrition, consumption of healthy and low-fat foods, fast food and sweets, as well as emotional eating and accidental planning. There was no significant difference between the two groups about social support.

Influences of Parental Snacking-Related Attitudes, Behaviours and Nutritional Knowledge on Young Children's Healthy and Unhealthy Snacking: The ToyBox Study

This study investigated parental influences on preschool children's healthy and unhealthy snacking in relation to child obesity in a large cross-sectional multinational sample. Parents and 3-5 year-old child dyads (n = 5185) in a kindergarten-based study provided extensive sociodemographic, dietary practice and food intake data. Parental feeding practices that were derived from questionnaires were examined for associations with child healthy and unhealthy snacking in adjusted multilevel models, including child estimated energy expenditure, parental education, and nutritional knowledge. Parental healthy and unhealthy snacking was respectively associated with their children's snacking (both p < 0.0001). Making healthy snacks available to their children was specifically associated with greater child healthy snack intake (p < 0.0001). Conversely, practices that were related to unhealthy snacking, i.e., being permissive about unhealthy snacking and acceding to child demands for unhealthy snacks, were associated with greater consumption of unhealthy snacks by children, but also less intake of healthy snacks (all p < 0.0001). Parents having more education and greater nutritional knowledge of snack food recommendations had children who ate more healthy snacks (all p < 0.0001) and fewer unhealthy snacks (p = 0.002, p < 0.0001, respectively). In the adjusted models, child obesity was not related to healthy or unhealthy snack intake in these young children. The findings support interventions that address parental practices and distinguish between healthy and unhealthy snacking to influence young children's dietary patterns.

Factors associated with water consumption among children: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Water is recommended as the main beverage for daily fluid intake. Previous systematic reviews have studied the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) among children, but none have focused on water consumption. Insight into factors that are associated with children's water intake is needed to inform the development of interventions aimed at the promotion of water consumption. The objective of this review was therefore to summarize the current evidence on factors associated with water consumption among children aged 2 to 12 years.

METHODS

A systematic literature search in seven electronic databases was conducted in May, 2018 and retrieved 17,850 unique records. Two additional studies were identified by hand-searching references of included articles. Studies were selected if they had a cross-sectional or longitudinal study design, focused on children aged 2-12 years and published in an English language peer-reviewed journal. Participants from clinical populations, studies that included data of < 10 participants and non-human studies were excluded.

RESULTS

A total of 63 articles met inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. We identified 76 factors that were investigated in these studies; 17/76 were investigated in a longitudinal study. There was evidence of positive associations between water consumption and child's self-efficacy, parental education level, parental self-efficacy, use of feeding practices such as restriction or encouraging healthy eating and study year. Evidence was inconsistent (< 60% of studies reported an association) for child's age, sex, BMI, consumption of SSBs and ethnic background of the parent. There was no evidence (≤33% of studies reported an association) of associations between consumption of milk or juice, parental emotional-, modelling- or instrumental feeding practices, eating school lunch or outside temperature and water consumption. The remaining 54 factors were investigated in fewer than three studies.

CONCLUSIONS

There is some evidence for an association between potentially modifiable parental and child-related factors and water consumption. However, most factors identified in this review were only studied by one or two studies and most studies were cross-sectional. More longitudinal research is necessary to investigate environmental, parental and child-related factors associated with water consumption that are currently under-studied and could further inform intervention strategies.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

PROSPERO ID# CRD42018093362 , registered May 22, 2018.

Adapting the ToyBox obesity prevention intervention for use in Scottish preschools: protocol for a feasibility cluster randomised controlled trial

INTRODUCTION

There is an increasing need for the adoption of effective preschool obesity prevention interventions to combat the high levels of early-childhood obesity in the UK. This study will examine the feasibility and acceptability of the adapted version of the ToyBox intervention-a preschool obesity prevention programme-for use in Scotland (ToyBox-Scotland). This will inform the design of a full-scale cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT).

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

The ToyBox-Scotland intervention will be evaluated using a feasibility cluster RCT, which involves children aged 3-5 years at six preschools in Glasgow, three randomly assigned to the intervention group and three to the usual-care control group. The original ToyBox intervention was adapted for the Scottish context using a coproduction approach. Within the 18-week intervention, physical activity and sedentary behaviour will be targeted in the preschool through environmental changes to the classroom, physical activity sessions and movement breaks. Parents will receive home activity packs every 3 weeks containing sticker incentives and interactive parent-child games that target sedentary behaviour, physical activity, eating/snacking and water consumption. As this is a feasibility study, parameters such as recruitment rates, attrition rates and SDs of outcome measures will be obtained which will inform a power calculation for a future RCT. Additional variables to be assessed include accelerometer-measured physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep, body mass index, home screen time, eating/snacking and water consumption. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline and 14-17 weeks later. Intervention fidelity will be assessed using questionnaires and interviews with parents and practitioners, observation and session delivery records.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

This study was granted ethical approval by the University of Strathclyde's School of Psychological Sciences and Health Ethics Committee. Results will be disseminated through publication in peer-reviewed journals, presentation at conferences and in lay summaries provided to participants.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

ISRCTN12831555.

Health-related parental indicators and their association with healthy weight and overweight/obese children's physical activity

Background

Although it is accepted that parents play a key role in forming children’s health behaviours, differences in parent-child physical activity (PA) have not previously been analysed simultaneously in random samples of families with non-overweight and overweight to obese preschool and school-aged children. This study answers the question which of the health-related parental indicators (daily step count (SC), screen time (ST), and weight status and participation in organized leisure-time PA) help their children achieve the step count recommendations.

Methods

A nationally representative sample comprising 834 families including 1564 parent-child dyads who wore the Yamax Digiwalker SW-200 pedometer for at least 8 h a day on at least four weekdays and both weekend days and completed a family log book (anthropometric parameters, SC, and ST). Logistic regression analyses were used to investigate whether parental achievement of the daily SC recommendation (10,000 SC/day), non-excessive ST (< 2 h/day), weight status, and active participation in organized PA were associated with children’s achievement of their daily SC (11,500 SC/day for pre-schoolers and 13,000/11,000 SC/day for school-aged boys/girls).

Results

While living in a family with non-overweight parents helps children achieve the daily SC recommendation (mothers in the model: OR = 3.50, 95% CI = 2.29–5.34, p < 0.001; fathers in the model: OR = 2.41, 95% CI = 1.37–4.26, p < 0.01) regardless of their age category, gender, or ST, for families with overweight/obese children, only the mother’s achievement of the SC recommendations and non-excessive ST significantly (p < 0.05) increase the odds of their children reaching the daily SC recommendation. The active participation of children in organized leisure-time PA increases the odds of all children achieving the daily SC recommendations (OR = 1.80–2.85); however, for overweight/obese children this remains non-significant. The participation of parents in organized leisure-time PA does not have a significant relationship to the odds of their overweight/obese or non-overweight children achieving the daily SC recommendations.

Conclusions

The mother’s health-related behaviours (PA and ST) significantly affect the level of PA of overweight/obese preschool and school-aged children. PA enhancement programmes for overweight/obese children cannot rely solely on the active participation of children in organized leisure-time PA; they also need to take other family-based PA, especially at weekends, into account.

Prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of overweight and obesity in a large Pan-European cohort of preschool children and their families: the ToyBox study

OBJECTIVES

Health inequalities are observed among different regions and socioeconomic groups. The present study aimed to record the prevalence of overweight and obesityamong preschoolers across six European countries in relation to sociodemographic and family factors.

METHODS

A total of 7554 preschool-aged children and their parents participated in the ToyBox-study. Children's weight and height were measured and parents self-reported their weight, height, and family sociodemographic data using questionnaires. Data were obtained in May and June 2012.

RESULTS

The prevalence of overweight and obesity ranged from 10.0% in Germany to 20.6% in Greece and was found to be higher in children from low socioeconomic status (SES) families as well as children with two overweight or obese parents. Children from low-SES families and children with overweight or obese parents were more likely to be overweight or obese compared with their peers from medium- or high-SES families or those with normal-weight parents, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

In a large sample of European preschoolers, the prevalence of overweight and obesity was found to be higher in Southern and Eastern European countries compared with Central and Northern European countries. Higher prevalence was recorded among low-SES families and in children with overweight or obese parents, which indicates that these areas and vulnerable groups need to be prioritized to close the gap in health and social inequalities and provide more effective prevention of early childhood obesity.

Clustering of energy balance-related behaviours and parental education in European preschool children: the ToyBox study

Energy balance-related behaviours (EBRB) are established in childhood and seem to persist through to adulthood. A lower parental educational level was associated with unhealthy behavioural patterns. The aim of the study is to identify clusters of EBRB and examine their association with preschool children’s BMI and maternal, paternal and parental education. A subsample of the ToyBox study (n 5387) conducted in six European countries was used. Six behavioural clusters (‘healthy diet and low activity’, ‘active’, ‘healthy lifestyle’, ‘high water and screen time; low fruits and vegetables (F&V) and physical activity (PA)’, ‘unhealthy lifestyle’ and ‘high F&V consumers’) emerged. The healthiest group characterised by high water and F&V consumption and high PA z scores (‘healthy lifestyle’) was more prevalent among preschool children with at least one medium- or higher-educated parent and showed markedly healthier trends for all the included EBRB. In the opposite, the ‘unhealthy lifestyle’ cluster (characterised by high soft drinks and screen time z scores, and low water, F&V and PA z scores) was more prevalent among children with lower parental, paternal and maternal education levels. OR identified that children with lower maternal, paternal and parental education levels were less likely to be allocated in the ‘healthy lifestyle’ cluster and more likely to be allocated in the ‘unhealthy lifestyle’ cluster. The ‘unhealthy lifestyle’ cluster was more prevalent among children with parents in lower parental educational levels and children who were obese. Therefore, parental educational level is one of the key factors that should be considered when developing childhood obesity prevention interventions.

Perinatal and lifestyle factors mediate the association between maternal education and preschool children's weight status: the ToyBox study

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore the associations among perinatal, sociodemographic, and behavioral factors and preschool overweight/obesity.

METHODS

Data were collected from 7541 European preschoolers in May/June 2012. Children's anthropometrics were measured, and parents self-reported all other data via questionnaires. Level of statistical significance was set at P ≤ 0.05.

RESULTS

Certain perinatal factors (i.e., maternal prepregnancy overweight/obesity, maternal excess gestational weight gain, excess birth weight, and "rapid growth velocity"), children's energy balance-related behaviors (i.e., high sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, increased screen time, reduced active-play time), family sociodemographic characteristics (i.e., Eastern or Southern Europe, low maternal and paternal education), and parental overweight/obesity were identified as correlates of preschoolers' overweight/obesity. Furthermore, maternal prepregnancy overweight/obesity, children's "rapid growth velocity," and increased screen time mediated by 21.2%, 12.5%, and 5.7%, respectively, the association between maternal education and preschoolers' body mass index.

CONCLUSION

This study highlighted positive associations of preschooler's overweight/obesity with excess maternal prepregnancy and gestational weight gain, excess birth weight and "rapid growth velocity," Southern or Eastern European region, and parental overweight/obesity. Moreover, maternal prepregnancy overweight/obesity, children's "rapid growth velocity," and increased screen time partially mediated the association between maternal education and preschoolers' body mass index. The findings of the present study may support childhood obesity prevention initiatives, because vulnerable population groups and most specifically low-educated families should be prioritized. Among other fields, these intervention initiatives should also focus on the importance of normal prepregnancy maternal weight status, normal growth velocity during infancy, and retaining preschool children's screen time within recommendations.

Systematic review of the relationships between sleep duration and health indicators in the early years (0-4 years)

Background

The objective of this systematic review was to examine for the first time the associations between sleep duration and a broad range of health indicators in children aged 0 to 4 years.

Methods

Electronic databases were searched with no limits on date or study design. Included studies (published in English or French) were peer-reviewed and met the a priori determined population (apparently healthy children aged 1 month to 4.99 years), intervention/exposure/comparator (various sleep durations), and outcome criteria (adiposity, emotional regulation, cognitive development, motor development, growth, cardiometabolic health, sedentary behaviour, physical activity, quality of life/well-being, and risks/injuries). The quality of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) framework. Due to high levels of heterogeneity across studies, narrative syntheses were employed.

Results

A total of 69 articles/studies (62 unique samples) met inclusion criteria. Data across studies included 148,524 unique participants from 23 countries. The study designs were randomized trials (n = 3), non-randomized interventions (n = 1), longitudinal studies (n = 16), cross-sectional studies (n = 42), or longitudinal studies that also reported cross-sectional analyses (n = 7). Sleep duration was assessed by parental report in 70% of studies (n = 48) and was measured objectively (or both objectively and subjectively) in 30% of studies (n = 21). Overall, shorter sleep duration was associated with higher adiposity (20/31 studies), poorer emotional regulation (13/25 studies), impaired growth (2/2 studies), more screen time (5/5 studies), and higher risk of injuries (2/3 studies). The evidence related to cognitive development, motor development, physical activity, and quality of life/well-being was less clear, with no indicator showing consistent associations. No studies examined the association between sleep duration and cardiometabolic biomarkers in children aged 0 to 4 years. The quality of evidence ranged from “very low” to “high” across study designs and health indicators.

Conclusions

Despite important limitations in the available evidence, longer sleep duration was generally associated with better body composition, emotional regulation, and growth in children aged 0 to 4 years. Shorter sleep duration was also associated with longer screen time use and more injuries. Better-quality studies with stronger research designs that can provide information on dose-response relationships are needed to inform contemporary sleep duration recommendations.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-017-4850-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Systematic review of the relationships between sedentary behaviour and health indicators in the early years (0-4 years)

Background

The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the relationships between sedentary behaviour (SB) and health indicators in children aged 0 to 4 years, and to determine what doses of SB (i.e., duration, patterns [frequency, interruptions], and type) were associated with health indicators.

Methods

Online databases were searched for peer-reviewed studies that met the a priori inclusion criteria: population (apparently healthy, 1 month to 4.99 years), intervention/exposure and comparator (durations, patterns, and types of SB), and outcome/health indicator (critical: adiposity, motor development, psychosocial health, cognitive development; important: bone and skeletal health, cardiometabolic health, fitness, risks/harm). The quality of the evidence was assessed by study design and outcome using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) framework.

Results

Due to heterogeneity, meta-analyses were not possible; instead, narrative syntheses were conducted, structured around the health indicator and type of SB. A total of 96 studies were included (195,430 participants from 33 countries). Study designs were: randomized controlled trial (n = 1), case-control (n = 3), longitudinal (n = 25), longitudinal with additional cross-sectional analyses (n = 5), and cross-sectional (n = 62). Evidence quality ranged from “very low” to “moderate”. Associations between objectively measured total sedentary time and indicators of adiposity and motor development were predominantly null. Associations between screen time and indicators of adiposity, motor or cognitive development, and psychosocial health were primarily unfavourable or null. Associations between reading/storytelling and indicators of cognitive development were favourable or null. Associations between time spent seated (e.g., in car seats or strollers) or in the supine position, and indicators of adiposity and motor development, were primarily unfavourable or null. Data were scarce for other outcomes.

Conclusions

These findings continue to support the importance of minimizing screen time for disease prevention and health promotion in the early years, but also highlight the potential cognitive benefits of interactive non-screen-based sedentary behaviours such as reading and storytelling. Additional high-quality research using valid and reliable measures is needed to more definitively establish the relationships between durations, patterns, and types of SB and health indicators, and to provide insight into the appropriate dose of SB for optimal health in the early years.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-017-4849-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Systematic review of the relationships between physical activity and health indicators in the early years (0-4 years)

Background

Given the rapid development during the early years (0-4 years), an understanding of the health implications of physical activity is needed. The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the relationships between objectively and subjectively measured physical activity and health indicators in the early years.

Methods

Electronic databases were originally searched in April, 2016. Included studies needed to be peer-reviewed, written in English or French, and meet a priori study criteria. The population was apparently healthy children aged 1 month to 59.99 months/4.99 years. The intervention/exposure was objectively and subjectively measured physical activity. The comparator was various volumes, durations, frequencies, patterns, types, and intensities of physical activity. The outcomes were health indicators ranked as critical (adiposity, motor development, psychosocial health, cognitive development, fitness) and important (bone and skeletal health, cardiometabolic health, and risks/harm). The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) framework was used to assess the quality of evidence for each health indicator by each study design.

Results

Ninety-six studies representing 71,291 unique participants from 36 countries were included. Physical activity interventions were consistently (>60% of studies) associated with improved motor and cognitive development, and psychosocial and cardiometabolic health. Across observational studies, physical activity was consistently associated with favourable motor development, fitness, and bone and skeletal health. For intensity, light- and moderate-intensity physical activity were not consistently associated with any health indicators, whereas moderate- to vigorous-intensity, vigorous-intensity, and total physical activity were consistently favourably associated with multiple health indicators. Across study designs, consistent favourable associations with health indicators were observed for a variety of types of physical activity, including active play, aerobic, dance, prone position (infants; ≤1 year), and structured/organized. Apart from ≥30 min/day of the prone position for infants, the most favourable frequency and duration of physical activity was unclear. However, more physical activity appeared better for health. Evidence ranged from “very low” to “high” quality.

Conclusions

Specific types of physical activity, total physical activity, and physical activity of at least moderate- to vigorous-intensity were consistently favourably associated with multiple health indicators. The majority of evidence was in preschool-aged children (3-4 years). Findings will inform evidence-based guidelines.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-017-4860-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Effect and process evaluation of a kindergarten-based, family-involved intervention with a randomized cluster design on sedentary behaviour in 4- to 6- year old European preschool children: The ToyBox-study

Background

The aim of the present study evaluated the effect and process of the ToyBox-intervention on proxy-reported sedentary behaviours in 4- to 6-year-old preschoolers from six European countries.

Methods

In total, 2434 preschoolers’ parents/primary caregivers (mean age: 4.7±0.4 years, 52.2% boys) filled out a questionnaire, assessing preschoolers’ sedentary behaviours (TV/DVD/video viewing, computer/video games use and quiet play) on weekdays and weekend days. Multilevel repeated measures analyses were conducted to measure the intervention effects. Additionally, process evaluation data were included to better understand the intervention effects.

Results

Positive intervention effects were found for computer/video games use. In the total sample, the intervention group showed a smaller increase in computer/video games use on weekdays (ß = -3.40, p = 0.06; intervention: +5.48 min/day, control: +8.89 min/day) and on weekend days (ß = -5.97, p = 0.05; intervention: +9.46 min/day, control: +15.43 min/day) from baseline to follow-up, compared to the control group. Country-specific analyses showed similar effects in Belgium and Bulgaria, while no significant intervention effects were found in the other countries. Process evaluation data showed relatively low teachers’ and low parents’ process evaluation scores for the sedentary behaviour component of the intervention (mean: 15.6/24, range: 2.5–23.5 and mean: 8.7/17, range: 0–17, respectively). Higher parents’ process evaluation scores were related to a larger intervention effect, but higher teachers’ process evaluation scores were not.

Conclusions

The ToyBox-intervention had a small, positive effect on European preschoolers’ computer/video games use on both weekdays and weekend days, but not on TV/DVD/video viewing or quiet play. The lack of larger effects can possibly be due to the fact that parents were only passively involved in the intervention and to the fact that the intervention was too demanding for the teachers. Future interventions targeting preschoolers' behaviours should involve parents more actively in both the development and the implementation of the intervention and, when involving schools, less demanding activities for teachers should be developed.

Trial registration

clinicaltrials.gov NCT02116296