Adherence to 24-hour movement guidelines among rural Brazalian preschool children: associations with parenting practices

Abstract

Abstract Background: Young children residing in rural areas of low-and-middle income countries (LMICs) such as Brazil are at greater risk of obesity and related chronic health conditions. Yet, the extent to which rural preschool children from Brazil aged 3- to 6-years meet the World Health Organisation (WHO) 24-hour movement guidelines is unknown. Parents play a central role in the development of children’s movement behaviors with logistic support, co-participation, modelling, and setting rules and limits recognized as influential parenting practices. However, the bulk of parenting research has been conducted in families from high income countries (HICs) and little is known about the relationship between parenting practices and children’s movement behaviors in LMIC communities. Therefore, the aims of this study were two-fold: (1) report the proportion of preschool children from low-income families in rural Brazil meeting the WHO 24-hour movement guidelines; and (2) determine associations with theory-based parenting practices related to physical activity, screen time, and sleep. Methods: A representative sample of 324 families from a rural district in north-eastern Brazil completed a validated, culturally adapted interviewer-administered survey assessing child physical activity, screen time and sleep, and associated parenting practices. The proportion of children meeting the physical activity, screen time, and sleep recommendations and all combinations of these recommendations was calculated. Forward selection logistic regression was used to determine which parenting practices were associated with meeting the individual recommendations and the 24-hour movement guidelines. Results: Less than half of the children (47.5%) met the physical activity recommendation, 22% met the screen time recommendation, 62% met the sleep recommendation, with just over 10% meeting all three recommendations in the 24-h movement guidelines. Having fewer rules and restrictions around indoor and outdoor play, limiting, or monitoring screen time, and maintaining a consistent bedtime routine were key parenting practices associated with children´s adherence to the 24-hour movement guidelines. Conclusion: Only 1 in 10 rural Brazilian preschool children meet the 24-hour movement guidelines. These findings underscore the need for family-based interventions targeting parenting practices to support healthful movement behaviors in young children from LMICs.