New Study Uncovers Distinct Urban-Rural Patterns in Childhood Obesity and Screen Time Among Preschoolers in Finland
A groundbreaking study presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO) 2025 in Malaga, Spain, sheds new light on the alarming disparities in overweight and abdominal obesity among 3- to 4-year-old children residing in rural and urban settings. Conducted by researchers from the University of Helsinki and Folkhälsan Research Center, this research reveals that young children in rural areas are significantly more prone to overweight conditions, including excess fat accumulation around the waist, compared to their urban peers. Moreover, these rural preschoolers spend considerably more time engaged in screen-based activities.
The study highlights the complex relationship between movement behaviors—covering physical activity, sedentary time, screen exposure, and sleep—and early childhood adiposity, an important marker of health risk. Researchers emphasize that the uniform, one-size-fits-all public health strategies commonly employed to combat childhood obesity may be inadequate, given the distinct environmental and behavioral patterns observed between rural and urban populations. This nuanced understanding calls for tailored interventions that reflect the geographic and lifestyle contexts influencing young children’s weight status.
Childhood obesity remains a pressing public health crisis across Europe. Recent estimates suggest that approximately one in three children within the WHO European Region faces overweight or obese status. Projections foresee a dramatic increase, predicting that by 2035, over 28 million European children aged 5 to 19 will be living with obesity. These troubling trends underscore the urgency of pinpointing the specific risk factors and vulnerable subpopulations to develop effective prevention strategies that intercept obesity from the earliest years of life.
Traditional measures of childhood adiposity predominantly rely on Body Mass Index (BMI), a metric known for its limitations in accurately reflecting true body fat composition, especially in the developing bodies of young children. BMI fails to differentiate between fat mass and lean muscle tissue and offers no insight into fat distribution. Abdominal obesity—excess fat localized around the waist—is a critical risk factor linked closely with metabolic dysfunction and future cardiovascular disease risk. To address these limitations, the Finnish study incorporated the waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) alongside BMI, offering a more sensitive gauge of fat distribution and early metabolic risk.
The study analyzed data from 1,080 Finnish preschoolers aged 3 to 4 years, drawn from the SUNRISE Finland cohort, itself part of a broader international research initiative tracking compliance with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep in young children. About 57% of participants lived in urban environments while 43% resided in rural areas, allowing for a robust comparison across geographic contexts. Researchers employed accelerometry-based movement measurement, with the children wearing ActiGraph devices on their waists over a continuous seven-day period, objectively capturing intensities and durations of physical activity and sedentary behavior. Parent-reported data supplemented accelerometry findings, including details on children’s sleep patterns, screen time exposure, and dietary frequency of sugary drinks and unhealthy snacks.
Body composition was rigorously quantified through measured height, weight, and waist circumference, enabling calculation of BMI categories using age- and sex-specific Finnish growth reference standards. The study defined abdominal obesity as a WHtR exceeding 0.55, a threshold linked to elevated health risk in young children. Crucially, analyses adjusted for confounders such as age, sex, socioeconomic status, dietary intake, and accelerometer wear time, ensuring robust and reliable interpretation of results.
The findings reveal a striking rural-urban divide: nearly a quarter (24%) of rural preschoolers were classified as overweight or obese compared to just 16% of children living in urban settings. Abdominal obesity was similarly more prevalent in rural areas (19%) relative to urban counterparts (13%). Additionally, rural children averaged longer sleep durations—approximately 11 hours and 19 minutes per 24-hour period—compared to urban children, who slept just over 11 hours on average. Paradoxically, rural preschoolers also engaged in more screen time, with over an hour and 25 minutes daily, surpassing the urban average of 1 hour and 14 minutes.
Intriguingly, the nature and intensity of physical activity exhibited divergent associations with adiposity indicators depending on residential setting. In urban environments, higher levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA)—activities characterized by running, jumping, and energetic play—were paradoxically linked to increased risk of overweight status when measured by BMI. Conversely, in rural areas, greater engagement in light-intensity physical activity—low-energy play and exploration—was associated with higher BMI-defined overweight risk. Importantly, neither type of physical activity intensity showed significant associations with abdominal obesity defined by waist-to-height ratio.
This apparent discrepancy emphasizes the limitations of relying solely on BMI to gauge adiposity in young children, as BMI does not distinguish increases in muscle mass driven by physical activity from actual fat accumulation. WHtR, a more specific metric for adiposity, did not correlate with physical activity levels, suggesting it may better capture true excess fat risk in pediatric populations, disentangled from variations in muscle development.
Further amplifying the rural-urban disparities, elevated screen time in rural preschoolers was specifically associated with a heightened risk of both overweight and abdominal obesity. This linkage was absent in urban children, indicating that screen exposure may exert differential influences on adiposity depending on environmental context. As Dr. Elina Engberg, co-author of the study, notes, “The higher screen time observed among rural children may partly explain their greater adiposity, whereas other unmeasured factors may play a more central role in urban settings.”
The pervasive influence of screen time on obesity risk is well documented but remains challenging to contextualize amidst complex lifestyle factors. This study’s findings suggest that rural environments, potentially characterized by fewer organized physical activity opportunities, limited access to recreational facilities, or differing parental supervision norms, might magnify the obesogenic effects of screen exposure in early childhood.
Importantly, the study acknowledges its cross-sectional design constraints, limiting the ability to infer causality. Reverse causality remains a plausible alternative explanation, wherein children already experiencing overweight or abdominal obesity might be more sedentary and inclined towards screens. Furthermore, reliance on parent-reported screen time and sleep introduces potential measurement bias, although the use of objective accelerometry strengthens the assessment of physical activity and sedentary behavior.
Despite these limitations, this research represents a critical advancement in understanding the nuanced interplay between geography, movement behaviors, and adiposity in the youngest segments of the population. The relatively large and representative sample, rigorous anthropometric measurements, and objective physical activity assessments constitute notable strengths that lend credibility and urgency to the findings.
Early childhood obesity not only predisposes individuals to persistent health challenges across the lifespan but also imposes profound social and economic burdens. Detecting and targeting the specific risk factors prevalent within rural communities is essential to designing effective, culturally and contextually sensitive interventions. The researchers advocate for preventive efforts tailored to the unique needs of rural families, emphasizing community- and family-oriented strategies that can close the urban-rural health gap and promote equitable health outcomes from the earliest years.
As the global obesity epidemic continues to escalate, integrative approaches combining high-quality research with innovative public health initiatives will be paramount. This study’s revelations about movement behavior patterns and adiposity indicators in preschoolers highlight the critical importance of moving beyond generic recommendations and adopting precision public health tactics that reflect real-world diversity in lifestyle and environment.
Future longitudinal research is needed to unravel the dynamic causal pathways linking physical activity, sedentary behavior, screen time, sleep, and adiposity, especially within varying geographical contexts. Such insights will deepen understanding and guide the creation of more efficacious prevention frameworks that safeguard the well-being of children worldwide.
Subject of Research: Urban-rural differences in movement behaviors and adiposity among preschool children in Finland
Article Title: (Not available in provided content)
News Publication Date: 13-May-2025
Web References:
- World Obesity Atlas 2023 | World Obesity Federation: https://www.worldobesity.org/resources/resource-library/world-obesity-atlas-2023
- Full abstract: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nPVsR8cwttCIV-1-S0hIeusIHSBA5dPD/view?usp=sharing
References:
- WHO European Regional Obesity Report 2022
- Engberg E et al. Sociodemographic factors, parental mental health and movement behaviours in the early years: the SUNRISE Finland study protocol. JASSB 2024
- Guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for children under 5 years of age. World Health Organization 2019
Image Credits: Not provided
Keywords: childhood obesity, preschoolers, rural health, urban health, physical activity, sedentary behavior, screen time, sleep, waist-to-height ratio, BMI, adiposity, Finland
