Excessive screen viewing in early childhood is associated with poor physical and psycho-social health and poor cognitive development. This study aimed to understand the prevalence, trajectory and determinants of television viewing time in early childhood to inform intervention development. In this prospective longitudinal study, mothers of 1558 children (589 white British, 757 Pakistani heritage, 212 other ethnicities) completed questionnaires when their children were approximately 6, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months old. Mothers answered questions about their own and their child’s TV-time. TV-time trajectories were estimated by linear longitudinal multilevel modeling, potential determinants were considered in models. The modelled trajectory estimated that 75% of children aged 12 months exceeded guidelines of zero screen-time. At 12 months of age an accelerated increase in TV-time was observed (2 h/day by 30 months old). For every hour of mothers’ TV-time and every hour the TV was on in the home, children’s TV-time was 8 min and 1 min higher respectively at 6 months old (P < 0.05), and 15 min and 3 min higher respectively at 36 months old (P < 0.05). Children whose mothers did not agree that it was important their child did not watch too much TV, had 17 min more TV-time than their counterparts (P < 0.05). Children of first time mothers had 6 min more TV-time (P < 0.05). At 12 months of age, children of mothers experiencing stress watched 8 min more TV (P < 0.05). By 36 months, children of Pakistani heritage mothers had 22 min more TV-time than those of white British mothers (P < 0.05), and an additional 35 min of TV-time if their mother was not born in the UK (P < 0.05). High levels of TV-time were prevalent. Intervention developers should consider targeting interventions before 12 months of age. Modifiable determinants included mothers’ own TV-time, the time the television is on in the home and mothers’ attitude towards child TV-time. These behaviours may be key components to address in interventions for parents. Mothers experiencing stress, first time mothers, and Pakistani heritage mothers (particularly those born outside of the UK), may be priority groups for intervention.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine how compositions of 24-h time use and time reallocations between movement behaviors are associated with cardiometabolic health in a population-based sample of middle-age Finnish adults. Methods: Participants were 3443 adults 46 yr of age from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 study. Participants wore a hip-worn accelerometer for 14 d from which time spent in sedentary behavior (SB), light-intensity physical activity (LPA), and moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) were determined. These data were combined with self-reported sleep to obtain the 24-h time-use composition. Cardiometabolic outcomes included adiposity markers, blood lipid levels, and markers of glucose control and insulin sensitivity. Multivariable-adjusted regression analysis, using a compositional data analysis approach based on isometric log-ratio transformation, was used to examine associations between movement behaviors with cardiometabolic outcomes. Results: More daily time in MVPA and LPA, relative to other movement behaviors, was consistently favorably associated with all cardiometabolic outcomes. For example, relative to time spent in other behaviors, 30 min·d⁻¹ more MVPA and LPA were both associated with lower 2-h post–glucose load insulin level (−11.8% and −2.7%, respectively). Relative to other movement behaviors, more daily time in SB was adversely associated with adiposity measures, lipid levels, and markers of insulin sensitivity, and more daily time asleep was adversely associated with adiposity measures, blood lipid, fasting plasma glucose, and 2-h insulin. For example, 60 min·d⁻¹ more SB and sleep relative to the remaining behaviors were both associated with higher 2-h insulin (3.5% and 5.7%, respectively). Conclusions: Altering daily movement behavior compositions to incorporate more MVPA at the expense of any other movement behavior, or more LPA at the expense of SB or sleep, could help to improve cardiometabolic health in midadulthood.

Objective: Physical activity is advocated for a range of benefits to the uncomplicated pregnancy. We investigated associations of mid-pregnancy physical activity with maternal and neonatal health in white British and Pakistani-origin women from a deprived urban setting.Methods: The study was performed in 6921 pregnant women (53% Pakistani-origin) who contributed data for 7305 singleton births. At 26–28 weeks gestation, women were grouped into four activity levels (inactive/somewhat active/moderately active/active) based on their self-reported physical activity. Linear regression with robust standard errors was used to calculate adjusted mean differences in health markers between the four groups of physical activity (reference group: inactive).Results: Three-quarters (74%) of Pakistani-origin women and 39% of white British women were inactive. Trend-tests revealed that more active white British women tended to be less adipose, had lower fasting and postload glucose levels, lower triglyceride concentrations, and their babies were less adipose (smaller triceps and subscapular skinfolds) than less active white British women. Somewhat active Pakistani-origin women exhibited lower triglyceride concentrations and systolic blood pressure, higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, and their babies were less adipose (smaller mid-upper arm and abdominal circumferences; lower cord-blood leptin concentration) compared to inactive Pakistani-origin women. No associations were observed for gestational age or birth weight.Conclusions: Physical activity performed mid-pregnancy was beneficially associated with maternal cardiometabolic health and neonatal adiposity, without influencing gestational age or birth weight. Associations were dose-dependent in white British women, and even a small amount of mid-pregnancy physical activity appeared to benefit some health markers in Pakistani-origin women.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the associations of TV parameters with adiposity in early life.Methods: Data were collected as part of the Born in Bradford (BiB) longitudinal birth cohort study. Child TV viewing duration was parent reported, and BMI, the sum of triceps and subscapular skinfolds, and waist circumference were measured at ~12, 18, 24, and 36 months of age in 1,338 children. Mixed effects models were used to quantify adjusted associations of TV viewing duration with adiposity markers, incorporating data from all time points. Linear regression was used to investigate differences in adiposity levels across frequencies of eating meals and snacks while watching TV at age ~24 months and between children who did and did not have a TV in their bedroom at age ~36 months.Results: Every 1 h/d of TV viewing was associated with a 0.075‐cm larger (95% CI: 0.0034‐0.15) waist circumference, independent of covariates including sleep duration, dietary factors, and physical activity level. There was no evidence for any other associations.Conclusions: TV viewing duration is independently associated with abdominal adiposity in young children. Limiting TV viewing from an early age may be important for primary prevention of obesity.

Ovided 526 cross-sectional observations for PA and body composition. Total PA volume (vector magnitude counts per minute), daily time at multiple intensity levels (the cumulative time in activity >500, >1000, >1500, …, >6000 counts per minute), and time spent sedentary (6000 counts per minute = −1.57 mm, 95% CI = −3.01 to −0.12, per 20 min·d−1). The substitution of 20 min·d−1 of sedentary time with moderate-to-vigorous PA was associated with a lower sum of skinfolds (−0.77 mm, 95% CI = −1.46 to −0.084). Conclusions High light-intensity PA appears to be beneficial for body composition in young South Asian and White British children, but higher-intensity PA is more advantageous....

To examine independent associations of sleep duration with total and abdominal adiposity, and the bidirectionality of these associations, in a young biethnic sample of children from a disadvantaged location. Child sleep duration (h/day) was parent-reported by questionnaire and indices of total (body weight, body mass index, percent body fat (%BF), sum of skinfolds) and abdominal adiposity (waist circumference) were measured using standard anthropometric procedures at approximately 12, 18, 24, and 36 months of age in 1,338 children (58% South Asian; 42% White). Mixed effects models were used to quantify independent associations (expressed as standardised β-coefficients (95% confidence interval (CI)) of sleep duration with adiposity indices using data from all four time-points. Factors considered for adjustment in models included basic demographics, pregnancy and birth characteristics, and lifestyle behaviours. With the exception of the sum of skinfolds, sleep duration was inversely and independently associated with indices of total and abdominal adiposity in South Asian children. For example, one standard deviation (SD) higher sleep duration was associated with reduced %BF by -0.029 (95% CI: −0.053, −0.0043) SDs. Higher adiposity was also independently associated with shorter sleep duration in South Asian children (for example, %BF: β = -0.10 (-0.16, -0.028) SDs). There were no significant associations in White children. Associations between sleep duration and adiposity are bidirectional and independent among South Asian children from a disadvantaged location. The results highlight the importance of considering adiposity as both a determinant of decreased sleep and a potential consequence.