Twenty-four-hour movement guidelines during adolescence and its association with obesity at adulthood: results from a nationally representative study

• Published in: European journal of pediatrics 2023-03, Vol.182 (3), p.1009-1017
• Main Authors: García-Hermoso, Antonio, Ezzatvar, Yasmin, Alonso-Martinez, Alicia M., Ramírez-Vélez, Robinson, Izquierdo, Mikel, López-Gil, José Francisco
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abdomen; Adipose tissue; Adolescence; Adolescent; Adolescents; Adult; Body Mass Index; Body measurements; Child development; Cross-Sectional Studies; Exercise; Female; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Obesity; Obesity, Abdominal - epidemiology; Pediatric Obesity - epidemiology; Pediatric Obesity - etiology; Pediatrics; Physical activity; Screen time; Sedentary Behavior; Sleep; Teenagers
• ISSN: 1432-1076; 0340-6199; 1432-1076
• DOI: 10.1007/s00431-022-04760-w

To determine the association between adherence to the 24-h movement guidelines during adolescence with obesity at adulthood 14 years later in a nationally representative cohort. We analyzed data from 6984 individuals who participated in Waves I (1994–1995) and IV (2008–2009) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) in the USA. Obesity was defined by the International Obesity Task Force cut-off points at Wave I and adult cut-points at Wave IV (body mass index [BMI]≥30 kg/m2 and waist circumference [WC]≥102 cm in male and 88 cm in female). Physical activity, screen time and sleep duration were self-reported. Adolescents who met screen time recommendation alone (β = −1.62 cm, 95%CI −2.68 cm to −0.56), jointly with physical activity (β = −2.25 cm, 95%CI −3.75 cm to −0.75 cm), and those who met all three recommendations (β = −1.92 cm, 95%CI −3.81 cm to −0.02 cm) obtained lower WC at Wave IV than those who did not meet any of these recommendations. Our results also show that meeting with screen time recommendations (IRR [incidence rate ratio] = 0.84, 95%CI 0.76 to 0.92) separately and jointly with physical activity recommendations (IRR = 0.86, 95%CI 0.67 to 0.97) during adolescence is associated with lower risk of abdominal obesity at adulthood. In addition, adolescents who met all 24-h movement recommendations had lower risk of abdominal obesity later in life (IRR = 0.76, 95%CI 0.60 to 0.97). Conclusion : Promoting the adherence to the 24-h movement guidelines from adolescence, especially physical activity and screen time, seems to be related with lower risk of abdominal obesity later in life, but not for BMI. What is Known: • Some studies have shown a relationship between adherence to 24-h movement guidelines and adiposity or obesity markers in youth. However, most of these studies have a cross-sectional design or a short follow-up. What is New: • This is the first study which determined the association between adherence to the 24-h movement guidelines during adolescence with obesity at adulthood 14 years later in a nationally representative US cohort. • Meeting the 24-h movement guidelines from adolescence seems to be related with lower risk of abdominal obesity later in life, but not for body mass index.