Compliance with the WHO 24-h movement guidelines and associations with body weight status among preschool children in Hong Kong

Feng, Jie and Huang, Wendy Yajun and Reilly, John J. and Wong, Stephen Heung-Sang (2021) Compliance with the WHO 24-h movement guidelines and associations with body weight status among preschool children in Hong Kong. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 46 (10). pp. 1273-1278. ISSN 1715-5312 (https://doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2020-1035)

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Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the extent to which preschool children in Hong Kong meet the World Health Organization's (WHO) 24-h movement guidelines and to examine the associations between meeting the guidelines and body weight status. Data from 251 preschoolers (141 boys) aged between 3 and 6 years were analysed. The children wore an activPAL for 7 consecutive days to measure physical activity and sleep. Their screen time was reported by their parents using validated questions. Their body weight status was classified as underweight, normal weight or overweight/obese. A total of 2.9% of the preschoolers met all 3 movement guidelines. Children in compliance with the physical activity, screen time and sleep guidelines accounted for 14.5%, 67.4%, and 39.0% of the sample, respectively. There was no significant association between meeting the individual or combined guidelines and body mass index or the odds ratio for being of normal weight. Meeting more guidelines was not associated with body mass index or the odds ratio for being normal weight. Compliance with the 24-h movement guidelines was extremely low among preschool children in Hong Kong. Meeting the 24-h movement guidelines was not associated with a favourable weight status among preschoolers. Novelty: Compliance with the WHO 24-h movement guidelines was extremely low for the early years in Hong Kong. Further evidence is needed to understand the associations between meeting the guidelines and weight status among preschoolers.

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