24-hour movement compositions linked to social-emotional function in young children

A cross-sectional analysis of 2,060 children found that the balance of sleep, sedentary behaviour, light physical activity and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity across 24 hours was associated with more favourable social-emotional functioning. Estimated compositions associated with the most desirable combined questionnaire scores included more total physical activity and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity than the minimum levels specified in current 24-hour movement guidelines. The study used data from the Sleep and Activity Database for the Early Years study.

Its population comprised 560 children aged 1.2–2.9 years and 1,500 children aged 3.0–4.9 years. Sedentary behaviour, light physical activity and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity were measured with ActiGraph accelerometers, while parents reported their children’s sleep duration. Researchers assessed social-emotional functioning through the five domains of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: emotional problems, conduct problems, hyperactivity, peer problems and prosocial behaviour.

They applied compositional data analysis to estimate the 24-hour movement-behaviour compositions associated with optimal scores for each domain and for all five domains combined, a condition termed the “Goldilocks day.” The movement-behaviour composition was significantly associated with every domain, with all reported p-values below .01. For children aged one to two years, the estimated composition associated with the most desirable combined scores consisted of 12 hours 12 minutes of sleep, 4 hours 36 minutes of sedentary behaviour, 5 hours 48 minutes of light physical activity and 1 hour 24 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. For children aged three to four years, the corresponding estimates were 12 hours 8 minutes of sleep, 4 hours 27 minutes of sedentary behaviour, 5 hours 49 minutes of light physical activity and 1 hour 36 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.

These are model-based compositions associated with questionnaire outcomes, not descriptions of how long children with the most desirable scores actually moved or rested. The authors explicitly stated that the results should not be interpreted as behavioural recommendations, describing them instead as movement-behaviour patterns associated with more favourable outcomes within the study population.

Subject of Research: Associations between 24-hour movement-behaviour composition and social-emotional functioning in children aged one to four years

Article Title: 24-hour movement behaviour composition associated with desired social-emotional functioning in the early years

Article References: Zahran, S., Cliff, D. P., Antczak, D., Aadland, E., Anam, E. A., Aadland, K. N., Burley, J., Draper, C. E., Dumuid, D., Santos Silva, D. A., van Sluijs, E. M. F., Christian, H., Tremblay, M. S., Olds, T. S., Santos, R., Zhang, Z., & Janssen, I. (2026). 24-hour movement behaviour composition associated with desired social-emotional functioning in the early years. PLOS One, 21(10), e0361046. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0361046

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0361046

Keywords: young children, 24-hour movement, sleep duration, sedentary behaviour, physical activity, social-emotional function, accelerometry, compositional analysis, movement guidelines, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, hour, movement