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. 2021;14(1):32-44.
doi: 10.1159/000511263. Epub 2020 Dec 22.

Physical Activity, Screen Time, and Sleep Duration of Children Aged 6-9 Years in 25 Countries: An Analysis within the WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) 2015-2017

Stephen Whiting  1   2 , Marta Buoncristiano  3 , Peter Gelius  4 , Karim Abu-Omar  4 , Mary Pattison  3 , Jolanda Hyska  5 , Vesselka Duleva  6 , Sanja Musić Milanović  7 , Hana Zamrazilová  8 , Tatjana Hejgaard  9 , Mette Rasmussen  10 , Eha Nurk  11 , Lela Shengelia  12 , Cecily C Kelleher  13 , Mirjam M Heinen  13 , Angela Spinelli  14 , Paola Nardone  14 , Akbota Abildina  15 , Shynar Abdrakhmanova  15 , Gulmira Aitmurzaeva  16 , Zhamyila Usuopva  16 , Iveta Pudule  17 , Aušra Petrauskiene  18 , Victoria Farrugia Sant'Angelo  19 , Enisa Kujundzic  20 , Stevo Popovic  21 , Anne-Siri Fismen  22 , Ingunn Holden Bergh  23 , Anna Fijalkowska  24 , Ana Isabel Rito  25 , Alexandra Cucu  26 , Lacramioara Aurelia Brinduse  27 , Valentina Peterkova  28 , Andrea Gualtieri  29 , Marta García-Solano  30 , Enrique Gutiérrez-González  30 , Zulfinissio Abdurrahmonova  31 , Khadichamo Boymatova  32 , Nazan Yardim  33 , Maya Tanrygulyyeva  34 , Daniel Weghuber  35 , Karin Schindler  36 , Dragana Stojisavljević  37 , Aida Filipović Hadžiomeragić  38 , Eliza Markidou Ionnaidu  39 , Wolfgang Ahrens  40 , Maria Hassapidou  41 , Viktoria Anna Kovacs  42 , Sergej M Ostojic  43 , Lubica Ticha  44 , Gregor Starc  45 , Kenisha Russell Jonsson  46 , Igor Spiroski  47 , Harry Rutter  48 , Romeu Mendes  3   49 , Julianne Williams  3 , Ivo Rakovac  3 , João Breda  3
Affiliations

Physical Activity, Screen Time, and Sleep Duration of Children Aged 6-9 Years in 25 Countries: An Analysis within the WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) 2015-2017

Stephen Whiting et al. Obes Facts. 2021.

Abstract

Background: Children are becoming less physically active as opportunities for safe active play, recreational activities, and active transport decrease. At the same time, sedentary screen-based activities both during school and leisure time are increasing.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate physical activity (PA), screen time, and sleep duration of girls and boys aged 6-9 years in Europe using data from the WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI).

Method: The fourth COSI data collection round was conducted in 2015-2017, using a standardized protocol that included a family form completed by parents with specific questions about their children's PA, screen time, and sleep duration.

Results: Nationally representative data from 25 countries was included and information on the PA behaviour, screen time, and sleep duration of 150,651 children was analysed. Pooled analysis showed that: 79.4% were actively playing for >1 h each day, 53.9% were not members of a sport or dancing club, 50.0% walked or cycled to school each day, 60.2% engaged in screen time for <2 h/day, and 84.9% slept for 9-11 h/night. Country-specific analyses of these behaviours showed pronounced differences, with national prevalences in the range of 61.7-98.3% actively playing for >1 h/day, 8.2-85.6% were not members of a sport or dancing club, 17.7-94.0% walked or cycled to school each day, 32.3-80.0% engaged in screen time for <2 h/day, and 50.0-95.8% slept for 9-11 h/night.

Conclusions: The prevalence of engagement in PA and the achievement of healthy screen time and sleep duration are heterogenous across the region. Policymakers and other stakeholders, including school administrators and parents, should increase opportunities for young people to participate in daily PA as well as explore solutions to address excessive screen time and short sleep duration to improve the overall physical and mental health and well-being of children.

Keywords: Active transport, active play; Physical inactivity; Sedentary behaviour; Surveillance.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study, collection, analyses, or interpretation of data, writing of the manuscript, or the decision to publish the results.

The writing group takes sole responsibility for the content of this article, and the content of this article reflects the views of the authors only. S.W, I.R. J.B. and J.W. are staff members of the WHO and M.B. and R.M. are WHO consultants. The WHO is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained herein.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Pooled and country-specific estimates (along with their 95% confidence intervals) of the percentage of children actively playing for at least 1 h/day (COSI/WHO Europe round 4 2015–17).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Pooled and country-specific estimates (along with their 95% confidence intervals) of the percentage of children who were not members of sports/dancing clubs or did not do sports or dance at all (COSI/WHO Europe round 4 2015–17).
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Pooled and country-specific estimates (along with their 95% confidence intervals) of the percentage of children who used active transport (walking or cycling) to get to and from school (COSI/WHO Europe round 4 2015–17).
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Pooled and country-specific estimates (along with their 95% confidence intervals) of the percentage of children with <2 h of screen time per day (COSI/WHO Europe round 4 2015–17).
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Pooled and country-specific estimates (along with their 95% confidence intervals) of the percentage of children who slept for 9–11 h per night(COSI/WHO Europe round 4 2015–17).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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