24 h Activity Guidelines in Children and Adolescents: A Prevalence Survey in Asia-Pacific Cities

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the prevalence of adherence to 24 h activity guidelines in children and adolescents from Asia-Pacific cities. In 1139 children aged 5–18 years, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), screen viewing time (SVT), sleep duration, child weight, height, sex, and age were parent-reported. Descriptive statistics were used to assess the number of guidelines met, and prevalence of adherence to activity guidelines by city and child sex. Prevalence of meeting all three 24 h activity guidelines was low across all countries (1.8–10.3%) (p < 0.05). Children from Thiruvananthapuram, India had the highest [10.3% (95% CI: 6.0–17.0)], while those from Tokyo, Japan had the lowest prevalence [1.8% (95% CI: 0.5–7.0)] of meeting all three guidelines. The highest prevalence of meeting individual MVPA, SVT and sleep guidelines was found in India [67.5% (95% CI: 58.8–75.1)], Kelaniya, Sri Lanka [63.2% (95% CI: 58.7–67.4)] and Kowloon, Hong Kong [59.4% (95% CI: 51.1–65.3)], respectively. Overall, a higher prevalence of boys met all three guidelines, compared to girls [5.9% (95% CI: 4.1–8.1) vs. 4.7% (3.1–6.6), p = 0.32]. The prevalence of adhering to all three activity guidelines was low in all five participating cities, with a higher proportion of boys meeting all guidelines.