Meeting 24-hour Movement Guidelines: Prevalence, Correlates And Relationships With Overweight And Obesity Among Chinese Children And Adolescents

There is a lack of research on meeting 24-hour movement guidelines, including physical activity (PA), sedentary time (ST) and sleep, among Chinese children and adolescents. PURPOSE: To investigate the prevalence of meeting the 24-hour movement guidelines, related correlates, or the relationships with body mass index (BMI) among Chinese children and adolescents. METHODS: Cross-sectional data were derived from the Physical Activity and Fitness in China—The Youth Study (PAFCTYS) 2017. A nationally representative sample with 114,072 children and adolescents (9-18 years-old, mean age 13.75 years, 49.2% boys) completed a self-report questionnaire regarding PA, ST and sleep. The prevalence of meeting the 24-hour movement guidelines and World Health Organization (WHO) weight status categories was determined. Generalized linear models were used to determine the correlates of meeting the movement guidelines and the relationships of meeting the movement guidelines with overweight and obesity (OW/OB). RESULTS: Only 5.12% of Chinese children and adolescents met the 24-hour movement guidelines and 22.44% were classified as OW/OB. Children and adolescents meeting the 24-hour movement guidelines showed lower odds ratios for OW/OB. Compared with meeting the 24-hour movement guidelines, boys of 4-6th grades (9-12 years old) meeting none of the recommendations (OR = 1.22), ST recommendation only (OR = 1.13) and sleep recommendation only (OR = 1.14) had significantly higher odds ratios for OW/OB. Similar trends were observed in girls of 4-6th grades meeting none of the recommendations (OR = 1.35), sleep recommendation only (OR = 1.23) and PA + sleep recommendations (OR = 1.24), and in girls of 7-9th grades (13-15 years old) meeting none of the recommendations (OR = 1.30). CONCLUSIONS: Very few Chinese children and adolescents met the integrated health-related 24-hour movement guidelines. Age (negative), parental educational level and family income (both positive) were correlates of meeting the 24-hour movement guidelines. Children and adolescents meeting the 24-hour movement guidelines were more likely to have healthier body weight, especially in the youngest age group, and girls in middle age group. Funding: Supported by the General Project of the National Social Science Foundation of China (19BTY077).