Journal
OBESITY FACTS
Volume 14, Issue 1, Pages 32-44Publisher
KARGER
DOI: 10.1159/000511263
Keywords
Physical inactivity; Surveillance; Sedentary behaviour; Active transport; active play
Categories
Funding
- Russian Government
- Albania: WHO through the Joint Programme on Children, Food Security and Nutrition Reducing Malnutrition in Children (the Millennium Development Goals Achievement Fund)
- Albania: Institute of Public Health
- Bulgaria: Ministry of Health, National Centre of Public Health and Analyses, WHO Regional Office for Europe
- Croatia: Ministry of Health, Croatian Institute of Public Health
- Croatia: WHO Regional Office for Europe
- Denmark: Danish Ministry of Health
- Estonia: Ministry of Social Affairs
- Estonia: Ministry of Education and Research [IUT 42-2]
- Estonia: WHO Country Office
- Estonia: National Institute for Health Development
- France: Sante Publique France
- France: French Agency for Public Health
- Georgia: WHO
- Ireland: Health Service Executive
- Italy: Ministry of Health
- Kazakhstan: Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan
- Kazakhstan: WHO Country Office
- Kyrgyzstan: WHO
- Latvia: Ministry of Health, Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
- Lithuania: Science Foundation of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences
- Lithuania: Lithuanian Science Council
- Lithuania: WHO
- Malta: Ministry of Health
- Montenegro: WHO
- Montenegro: Institute of Public Health of Montenegro
- Poland: National Health Programme, Ministry of Health
- Portugal: Ministry of Health Institutions
- Portugal: National Institute of Health, Directorate General of Health, Regional Health Directorates
- Romania: Ministry of Health
- San Marino: Health Ministry, Educational Ministry, Social Security Institute and Health Authority
- Spain: Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN)
- Turkmenistan: WHO Country Office in Turkmenistan
- Turkmenistan: Ministry of Health
- Turkey: Turkish Ministry of Health
- Turkey: World Bank
- Italy: Italian National Institute of Health
- Czechia: grant AZV MZCR [17-31670A]
- Czechia: grant MZCR -RVO EU [00023761]
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This study evaluated the physical activity, screen time, and sleep duration of girls and boys aged 6-9 years in Europe using data from the WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative. The results showed heterogeneous prevalence of engagement in physical activity and achievement of healthy screen time and sleep duration across the region. Policymakers and stakeholders should increase opportunities for young people to participate in daily physical activity and address excessive screen time and short sleep duration to improve children's overall physical and mental health.
Background: Children are becoming less physically active as opportunities for safe active play, recreational activities, and active transport decrease. At the same time, sedentary screen-based activities both during school and leisure time are increasing. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate physical activity (PA), screen time, and sleep duration of girls and boys aged 6-9 years in Europe using data from the WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI). Method: The fourth COSI data collection round was conducted in 2015-2017, using a standardized protocol that included a family form completed by parents with specific questions about their children's PA, screen time, and sleep duration. Results: Nationally representative data from 25 countries was included and information on the PA behaviour, screen time, and sleep duration of 150,651 children was analysed. Pooled analysis showed that: 79.4% were actively playing for >1 h each day, 53.9% were not members of a sport or dancing club, 50.0% walked or cycled to school each day, 60.2% engaged in screen time for <2 h/day, and 84.9% slept for 9-11 h/night. Country-specific analyses of these behaviours showed pronounced differences, with national prevalences in the range of 61.7-98.3% actively playing for >1 h/day, 8.2-85.6% were not members of a sport or dancing club, 17.7-94.0% walked or cycled to school each day, 32.3-80.0% engaged in screen time for <2 h/day, and 50.0-95.8% slept for 9-11 h/night. Conclusions: The prevalence of engagement in PA and the achievement of healthy screen time and sleep duration are heterogenous across the region. Policymakers and other stakeholders, including school administrators and parents, should increase opportunities for young people to participate in daily PA as well as explore solutions to address excessive screen time and short sleep duration to improve the overall physical and mental health and well-being of children.
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