Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Observational Study
. 2021 Oct 24;18(21):11173.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph182111173.

Physical Activity, Screen Time, Sedentary and Sleeping Habits of Polish Preschoolers during the COVID-19 Pandemic and WHO's Recommendations: An Observational Cohort Study

Anna Brzęk  1 , Markus Strauss  2   3 , Fabian Sanchis-Gomar  4 , Roman Leischik  3
Affiliations
Observational Study

Physical Activity, Screen Time, Sedentary and Sleeping Habits of Polish Preschoolers during the COVID-19 Pandemic and WHO's Recommendations: An Observational Cohort Study

Anna Brzęk et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic may lead to a significant decrease in physical activity, an increase in sedentary behavior, and thus also such things as screen time or a change in health behavior patterns. The survey aimed to compare levels of physical activity, screen time, hours spent sitting and sleeping time among Polish children aged 3-5 years of age before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: We identified 3000 respondents under five years of age, at Polish kindergartens. The questionnaire consists of 62 questions according to the recommendations of health behavior in school-aged children. The questionnaire was completed by the parents of these children.

Results: Only 30.77% of children complied with WHO criteria before the pandemic. During the pandemic, the percentage of children meeting the recommendations for physical activity decreased even more. Children spent much more time in a sitting position before the restrictions. The children slept as recommended 10-13 h a day, and the pandemic caused an increase in sleep duration of 10-18%. Most children had a limited time allowed for the use of electronic devices already before the pandemic, but during the pandemic the results negatively decreased by 71.54%.

Conclusions: The results clearly indicate decreased physical activity and increased screen time. It is also crucial to develop recommendations for prevention management strategies of sedentary lifestyles in the youngest group.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; children under 5; sedentary lifestyle.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram for selection and inclusion criteria.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Number distribution of active and inactive children aged 3–5 years before and during the pandemic (yes—actively spent time; no—time not actively spent).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Average values of frequency (left side) and time of PA (right side) in groups of children aged three to five years.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Average values of time spent using different electronic devices in groups of children aged 3–5 years (see before pandemic on the left side and during pandemic on the right side). Red line is the maximum time limit recommended by WHO for this age group.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Average values of sleeping time in groups of children aged 3–5 years.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Becker S.P., Gregory A.M. Editorial Perspective: Perils and promise for child and adolescent sleep and associated psychopathology during the COVID-19 pandemic. J. Child Psychol. Psychiatry Allied Discip. 2020;61:757–759. doi: 10.1111/jcpp.13278. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lee J. Mental health E-ects of school closures during COVID-19. Lancet Child Adolesc. Health. 2020;4:421. doi: 10.1016/S2352-4642(20)30109-7. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Pietrobelli A., Pecoraro L., Ferruzzi A., Heo M., Faith M., Zoller T., Antoniazzi F., Piacentini G., Fearnbach S.N., Heymsfield S.B. Effects of COVID-19 Lockdown on Lifestyle Behaviors in Children with Obesity Living in Verona, Italy: A Longitudinal Study. Obesity. 2020;28:1382–1385. doi: 10.1002/oby.22861. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bates L.C., Zieff G., Stanford K., Moore J.B., Kerr Z.Y., Hanson E.D., Barone Gibbs B., Kline C.E., Stoner L. COVID-19 Impact on Behaviors across the 24-Hour Day in Children and Adolescents: Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Sleep. Children. 2020;7:138. doi: 10.3390/children7090138. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Willumsen J., Bull F. Development of WHO guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep for children less than 5 years of age. J. Phys. Act. Health. 2020;17:96–100. doi: 10.1123/jpah.2019-0457. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types