A 24-Hour Movement Behavior for Young Children in South Korea

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the 24-h movement behavior of young children in Korea and examine the associations of their physical activity (PA) and screen time (ST) with parental cognition and behavior in homes and neighborhood environments.METHODS: Participants included 164 young children (4.4±1.2 years; boys 42.1%) and their parents. Young children’s sleep, PA, ST, parental cognitions and behaviors, and home and neighborhood environment were measured via parental reports using the Parents’ Role in Establishing Healthy Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Habits Questionnaire. Two-tailed independent sample t-tests or Mann–Whitney U tests, and correlation analyses were performed.RESULTS: The average sleep time of toddlers was 9.8±0.8 h/day, the total time of PA was 72.1±40.0 min/day, and the ST was 87.6±70.5 min/day. The adherence rate to the guidelines for sleep, PA, and ST increased with age except for 2-year-olds, and PA was found to be significantly lower than the guidelines at each age. Parental support for their children was positively associated with young children’s PA (r=0.195, p<.01), and negative parental outcome expectations for limiting young children’s ST were associated with young children’s ST (r=0.275, p<.01).CONCLUSIONS: Young children in South Korea do not meet PA, ST, and sleep guidelines. Parental cognition may play an essential role in establishing young children’s behavior. These findings can inform family-based interventions to increase PA and minimize ST.