Sleep, physical activity and screens in 0-4 years Spanish children during the COVID-19 pandemic: Were the WHO recommendations met?

Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned in recent years about child physical inactivity. The pandemic caused by COVID-19 meant in many countries the establishment of a period of confinement with the deprivation of movement of children. The aim of this paper is to analyse whether, during the period of confinement, the WHO recommendations regarding sleep, physical activity and the use of technological devices in children under 5 years of age resident in Spain were met. The sample was composed of 280 Spanish children. The results confirm high values in the use of screens, especially television (M = 65.33), followed by tablets (M = 17.10) and mobile phones (M = 8.34). Physical activity levels were detected to be lower than recommended, with an average of 31.81 minutes versus the recommended 180 minutes. As for sleep hours, the recommendations were minimally fulfilled (M = 10.73; SD = 1.72). It is concluded that the period of confinement may have been an obstacle to complying with WHO recommendations regarding the practice of physical activity and screens in children under 5 years of age, which may have further aggravated the health of children in relation to pathologies associated with sedentary life.