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Association between objectively measured sedentary behavior and body mass index in preschool children

International Journal of Obesity volume 37, pages 961–965 (2013)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Objective:

To determine the association between accelerometry-derived sedentary behavior and body mass index (BMI) z-score in preschool children, and to determine whether the association changed when applying three different accelerometry cutpoints for sedentary behavior.

Design and subjects:

Cross-sectional design. Data came from two completed studies: Children’s Activity and Movement in Preschool Study (CHAMPS) and the Environmental Determinants of Physical Activity in Preschool Children (EDPAPC) study. Children of ages 3–5 years with complete data on sedentary behavior, BMI z-score, physical activity and other covariates were included in the analyses (N=263 in CHAMPS and N=155 in EDPAPC). Accelerometry data were summarized as time spent in sedentary behavior (min h−1) using three different cutpoints developed specifically for preschool children (<37.5, <200 and <373 counts per 15 s). Linear mixed regression models were used to determine the association between time spent in sedentary behavior and BMI z-score; age, gender, race, parental education, preschools and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) were included as covariates.

Results:

In both CHAMPS and EDPAPC studies, no independent association between time spent in sedentary behavior and BMI z-score was observed after adjusting for MVPA. The observed null association between sedentary behavior and BMI z-score was maintained even with different sedentary behavior cutpoints.

Conclusions:

Regardless of cutpoints used, accelerometry-derived sedentary behavior was not independently associated with BMI z-score in two independent samples of preschool children. Longitudinal studies addressing this research question are needed.

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Acknowledgements

Supported by National Institute of Child Health and Human Development grants R01HD043125 and a grant from the Gerber Products Company. We thank all participants, parents and preschools that participated in this investigation, and Dr Steven N Blair and Michael Beets for editorial assistance in the preparation of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA

    W Byun & R R Pate

  2. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA

    J Liu

  3. Clinical Exercise Physiology, Human Performance Laboratory, Ball State University, Muncie, IN, USA

    W Byun

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Correspondence to W Byun.

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Byun, W., Liu, J. & Pate, R. Association between objectively measured sedentary behavior and body mass index in preschool children. Int J Obes 37, 961–965 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2012.222

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