A 5-year longitudinal analysis of modifiable predictors for outdoor play and screen-time of 2- to 5-year-olds

• Published in: The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity 2016-08, Vol.13 (1), p.96-96, Article 96
• Main Authors: Xu, Huilan, Wen, Li Ming, Hardy, Louise L, Rissel, Chris
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age; Australia; Awareness; Behavior; Child; Child Behavior; Child development; Child, Preschool; childhood; childhood obesity; children; Children & youth; clinical trials; Computers; Data analysis; Demographic aspects; demographic statistics; early development; Electronic games; Exercise; Female; Health care; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Infant; infants; Intervention; interviews; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Mothers; Obesity; Overweight; Parenting; Pediatric Obesity - etiology; physical activity; Physiological aspects; Play and Playthings; Pregnancy; pregnant women; Preschool children; regression analysis; Screen time; Sedentary Behavior; Socioeconomic factors; stomach; Television; Weight control; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1479-5868; 1479-5868
• DOI: 10.1186/s12966-016-0422-6

Early childhood is a critical time for establishing physical activity and sedentary behaviours. Identifying modifiable predictors of physical activity and sedentary behaviours in the early life stages can inform the development of early intervention programs. The aim of this study was to identify modifiable predictors of outdoor play (a proxy of physical activity) and screen-time in 2- to 5-year-olds. A longitudinal data analysis was conducted using 5-year follow-up data from the Healthy Beginnings Trial undertaken in Sydney, Australia from 2007 to 2013. A total of 667 pregnant women were recruited for the study. Information on mothers' demographics, physical activity, screen-time, knowledge of child development, and awareness of childhood obesity during pregnancy (at baseline); children's tummy time (a colloquial term describing the time when a baby is placed on his or her stomach while awake and supervised) at 6 months old and screen-time at 1 year old was collected via interviews with participating mothers as potential modifiable predictors. Main outcomes were children's outdoor playtime and screen-time at ages 2, 3.5, and 5 years. Mixed linear and logistic regression models were built to determine these modifiable predictors. Mothers' screen-time during pregnancy (β = 2.1, 95 % CI 0.17-4.12; P = 0.030) and children's daily screen-time at age 1 year (β = 15.2, 95 % CI 7.28-23.11; P