Only 14% (less than one in six) of children meet the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines for physical activity, screen time and sleep duration.
A pooled analysis of data from 7017 children across 33 countries was used to determine the proportion of three- and four-year-old children that met the WHO guidelines.
Physical activity was assessed through accelerometery data, while screen time and sleep duration were reported by parents or caregivers.
Results indicated that just 14.3% of children met the overall guidelines. Researchers found no clear pattern across income groups, but the region with the highest proportion of children who met the guidelines was Africa, while the lowest was in North and South America.
Findings suggest that more needs to be done to understand the factors behind these results and implement programmes and policies that are effective in promoting healthy levels of movement behaviours.
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