[Emotional and behavioral problems associated with health-risk behaviors in preschool children]

Abstract

Objective: To explore the relationship between multiple health-risk behaviors and emotional and behavioral problems in preschool children. Method: From October to November 2017, 27 987 children aged 3 to 6 years from 109 kindergartens of 11 cities from Hubei, Anhui and Jiangsu Provinces in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River were selected by using the cluster sampling method. Finally, 27 200 valid questionnaires were collected. A questionnaire was used to investigate the demographic characteristics, video time and outdoor activities, eating behavior, sleep time, emotional and behavioral problems of parents and children. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to quantify the association between multiple health-risk behaviors and emotional and behavioral problems. Results: Emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, peer problems, total difficulties and prosocial behavior abnormalities were detected in 9.5% (2 587), 9.5% (2 590), 18.2% (4 958), 24.5% (6 670), 11.2% (3 058) and 10.2% (2 770), respectively. Three groups of low, medium and high scores of multiple health-risk behaviors were accounted for 30.6% (8 316), 60.9% (16 568) and 8.5% (2 316), respectively. Multivariate logistic regression model analysis showed that after controlling for the confounding factors, compared with those in the low score group, preschool children in the middle and high score groups had higher risks of emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, peer problems, total difficulties and prosocial behavior (all P values<0.05). Conclusion: Health-risk behaviors are associated with the emotional and behavioral problems of preschool children.

Keywords: Behavior problems; Child, preschool; Health behavior.