Barriers and Facilitators to Physical Activity, Screen time and Sleep in 3- to 4-year-olds living in Scotland

Abstract

Background This study evaluated the barriers and facilitators that families experience in adhering to the 24-Hour Movement behaviours guidelines as outlined by World Health Organisation (WHO). Methods Twenty-four families from low- and high-income families living in Scotland were recruited. This cross-sectional study used a mixed-methods approach which included: 1) an online questionnaire for parents, 2) objectively measured physical activity (PA), sedentary behaviour and sleep, 3) online focus groups with parents. For the quantitative part, children wore an Actigraph (GT3X+) accelerometer to measure physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep. Parents/guardians kept an activity diary outlining when their child had to remove the device (i.e., showering, bathing, swimming) and record the child’s screen time each day. Once the data had been analysed, a unique activity profile chart was sent to each family illustrating their child’s 24-hour movement behaviours (i.e., time spent active, time spent sedentary and on screens, time spent sleeping). The activity profile provided a day-by-day output as well as a weekly average for each of the 24-hour movement behaviours. Qualitative data was collected using the Asynchronous Remote Communities method (ARC) via private groups on a social media platform. Results The results showed most of the children in this sample adhere to the sleep and MVPA guidelines (71% and 86% respectively). However, adherence to the total PA guideline and ST guideline is much lower (50% and 21% respectively). Qualitative results in this study provide insights into the experiences of low-income and high-income families when adhering to the 24hMB guidelines. The results have shown different sub-themes affecting family’s adherence to each of the guidelines both positively and negatively. Results did not appear to differ substantially between low-income and high-income families. Conclusions This study has identified that there are numerous factors on all levels of the socio-ecological framework that need to be considered when promoting, supporting, and encouraging family’s adherence to the 24hMB guidelines.