The Associations between 24-Hour Movement Behaviours and Quality of Life in Preschoolers: A Compositional Analysis of Cross-Sectional Data from 2018-2021

Meiyuan Chen; Terence Chua; Zhi Shen; Lee Yong Tay; Xiaozan Wang; Michael Chia

doi:10.3390/ijerph192214969

The Associations between 24-Hour Movement Behaviours and Quality of Life in Preschoolers: A Compositional Analysis of Cross-Sectional Data from 2018-2021

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Nov 14;19(22):14969. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192214969.

Authors

Meiyuan Chen^{1

2}, Terence Chua¹, Zhi Shen³, Lee Yong Tay⁴, Xiaozan Wang², Michael Chia¹

Affiliations

¹ Physical Education & Sports Science Academic Group, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637616, Singapore.
² College of Physical Education & Health, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China.
³ Department of Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
⁴ Centre for Research in Pedagogy and Practice, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637616, Singapore.

Abstract

Studies show that the quality of life (QoL) of preschoolers is closely related to physical activity (PA), sedentary behaviour (SB), and sleep (SL). Yet many researchers looked at these 24-h movement behaviours as behaviours that are independent of one another when examining the association of QoL with these behaviours. The main purpose of the present study was to describe the temporal trends in PA, SB, and SL in preschoolers and the concomitant association with QoL of children. Annual cross-sectional data on QoL and 24-h movement behaviours of 8045 Singaporean preschoolers were collected from 2018 to 2021. Compositional analysis, linear regression, and isotemporal replacement approaches were used to examine changes in PA, SB, and SL from 2018-2021 and how these changes were associated with QoL. Temporal trends in movement behaviours showed that PA and SL decreased after 2020. During 2018-2021, the association of PA and QoL in preschoolers was characterised by a 'U' curve (β_PA-2018 = 3.06, p < 0.001; β_PA-2019 = 1.43, p < 0.05; β_PA-2020 = -0.43, p > 0.05; β_PA-2021 = 2.82, p < 0.001), while SL and QoL were characterised by an inverted 'U' curve (β_SL-2018 = -2.39, p < 0.001; β_SL-2019 = -0.27, p > 0.05; β_SL-2020 = 2.00, p < 0.01; β_SL-2021 = -0.21, p > 0.05). SB was significantly and negatively associated with QoL after 2020, with 2020 identified as the inflection point for the change in SB (β_SB-2018 = 0.67, p > 0.05; β_SB-2019 = -1.16, p > 0.05; β_SB-2020 = -1.56, p < 0.01; β_SB-2021 = -2.61, p < 0.01). Using a time re-allocation technique to treat the 2021 data, reallocating time from SB to PA or to SL predicted improvements in QoL of preschoolers (P_all < 0.05). The study provided useful information on the temporal trends in PA, SB, SL, and QoL of preschoolers over four years. Additionally, these data provided insights into how changes in QoL are predicted by changes in duration in the 24-h movement behaviours.

Keywords: physical activity; preschoolers; quality of life; sedentary behaviour; sleep.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Child
Cross-Sectional Studies
Exercise
Humans
Quality of Life*
Sedentary Behavior*
Sleep

Grants and funding

This research was funded by Singapore Ministry of Education (MOE) under the Education Research Funding Programme (OER 29/19 MCYH) and administered by National Institute of Education (NIE), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Singapore MOE and NIE.