24-hour movement behaviour composition associated with desired social-emotional functioning in the early years
14 affiliations
- 1School of Kinesiology and Health Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
- 2School of Education, Early Start, Faculty of the Arts, Social Sciences & Humanities, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.
- 3Department of Sport, Food and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Education, Arts and Sports, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Sogndal, Norway.
- 4Department of Orthopedic Surgery, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
- 5SAMRC Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
- 6Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity (ARENA), Allied Health & Human Performance, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia.
- 7Department of Physical Education. Federal University of Santa Catarina, Sports Center, Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
- 8MRC Epidemiology Unit, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
- 9School of Population and Global Health and Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
- 10Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
- 11Department of Pediatrics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
- 12Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
- 13Institute of Education and Research Centre on Child Studies, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.
- 14Department of Public Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Abstract
Introduction: Movement behaviours (sleep, sedentary behaviour, and physical activity) influence numerous health outcomes in children, including their social-emotional development. The optimal 24-hour movement behaviour composition for positive social-emotional development is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the movement behaviour composition across the 24-hour day associated with desired social-emotional functioning in the early years. Methods: This cross-sectional analysis included 560 children aged 1.2–2.9 years and 1,500 children aged 3.0–4.9 years from the Sleep and Activity Database (SADEY) for the Early Years study. Sedentary behaviour (SED), light physical activity (LPA), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) were measured using ActiGraph accelerometers. Sleep duration was assessed using parent reports. Children social-emotional functioning was measured using the five domains of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), a widely used screening instrument of children’s behaviours, emotions, and relationships across five domains (emotional problems, conduct problems, hyperactivity, peer problems, and prosocial behaviour). Compositional data analyses were used to estimate the 24-hour movement behaviour compositions associated with optimal scores for each of the SDQ domain z-scores and all five domains combined (the Goldilocks day). Results: The movement behaviour composition was significantly associated with all five SDQ domains (all p < .01). For 1–2-year-olds, the Goldilocks day consisted of 12 h 12 min of sleep, 4 h 36 min of SED, 5 h 48 min of LPA, and 1h 24 min of MVPA. For 3–4-year-olds, it consisted of 12 h 08 min of sleep, 4 h 27 min of SED, 5 h 49 min of LPA, and 1 h 36 min of MVPA. Conclusion: The duration of total physical activity and MVPA associated with more favourable social-emotional functioning exceeded the minimum levels specified in the current 24-hour Movement Guidelines. These findings should not be interpreted as behavioural recommendations but rather as movement behaviour patterns associated with more favourable outcomes within this study population.
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BibTeX
@article{zahran202624hour,
title = {{24-hour movement behaviour composition associated with desired social-emotional functioning in the early years}},
author = {Samah Zahran and Dylan P Cliff and Devan Antczak and Eivind Aadland and Emad A Anam and Katrine N Aadland and Jade Burley and Catherine E Draper and Dorothea Dumuid and Diego Augusto Santos Silva and Esther M F van Sluijs and Hayley Christian and Mark S Tremblay and Timothy S Olds and Rute Santos and Zhiguang Zhang and Ian Janssen},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0361046},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0361046},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - 24-hour movement behaviour composition associated with desired social-emotional functioning in the early years
AU - Samah Zahran
AU - Dylan P Cliff
AU - Devan Antczak
AU - Eivind Aadland
AU - Emad A Anam
AU - Katrine N Aadland
AU - Jade Burley
AU - Catherine E Draper
AU - Dorothea Dumuid
AU - Diego Augusto Santos Silva
AU - Esther M F van Sluijs
AU - Hayley Christian
AU - Mark S Tremblay
AU - Timothy S Olds
AU - Rute Santos
AU - Zhiguang Zhang
AU - Ian Janssen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0361046
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0361046
AB - Introduction: Movement behaviours (sleep, sedentary behaviour, and physical activity) influence numerous health outcomes in children, including their social-emotional development. The optimal 24-hour movement behaviour composition for positive social-emotional development is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the movement behaviour composition across the 24-hour day associated with desired social-emotional functioning in the early years. Methods: This cross-sectional analysis included 560 children aged 1.2–2.9 years and 1,500 children aged 3.0–4.9 years from the Sleep and Activity Database (SADEY) for the Early Years study. Sedentary behaviour (SED), light physical activity (LPA), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) were measured using ActiGraph accelerometers. Sleep duration was assessed using parent reports. Children social-emotional functioning was measured using the five domains of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), a widely used screening instrument of children’s behaviours, emotions, and relationships across five domains (emotional problems, conduct problems, hyperactivity, peer problems, and prosocial behaviour). Compositional data analyses were used to estimate the 24-hour movement behaviour compositions associated with optimal scores for each of the SDQ domain z-scores and all five domains combined (the Goldilocks day). Results: The movement behaviour composition was significantly associated with all five SDQ domains (all p < .01). For 1–2-year-olds, the Goldilocks day consisted of 12 h 12 min of sleep, 4 h 36 min of SED, 5 h 48 min of LPA, and 1h 24 min of MVPA. For 3–4-year-olds, it consisted of 12 h 08 min of sleep, 4 h 27 min of SED, 5 h 49 min of LPA, and 1 h 36 min of MVPA. Conclusion: The duration of total physical activity and MVPA associated with more favourable social-emotional functioning exceeded the minimum levels specified in the current 24-hour Movement Guidelines. These findings should not be interpreted as behavioural recommendations but rather as movement behaviour patterns associated with more favourable outcomes within this study population.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -