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Int J Sports Med 2025; 46(05): 305-315
DOI: 10.1055/a-2464-3228
Review

Adherence to 24-Hour Movement Guidelines before and during COVID-19 in children: A review

Yiping Yan
1   School of Physical Education, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China (Ringgold ID: RIN66315)
,
Jingjing Jia
1   School of Physical Education, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China (Ringgold ID: RIN66315)
,
Bei Liu
1   School of Physical Education, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China (Ringgold ID: RIN66315)
,
Youzhi Ke
1   School of Physical Education, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China (Ringgold ID: RIN66315)
,
Yang Liu 
1   School of Physical Education, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China (Ringgold ID: RIN66315)
› Author AffiliationsSupported by: Research on the High-Quality Development of Youth Sports in China 23&ZD197
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Abstract

This study aims to describe and compare adherence to the 24-Hour Movement Guidelines (recommendations for physical activity, screen time, and sleep duration) among children before and during COVID-19 pandemic . The literature search was conducted on Web of Science, PubMed, MEDLINE, and SPORTDiscus for quantitative studies on 24-hour movement behaviors, published in English. The studies were categorized by collection date into before the pandemic (June 16th, 2016 – March 10, 2020) and during the pandemic (March 11th, 2020 – May 5, 2023), with all studies included. A random-effects model was employed to synthesize the adherence rates, and subgroup analyses were conducted based on age, sex, region, and Human development index (HDI) groups. Before the pandemic, 12.1% (95% CI:10.3%–13.9%) of overall children met the three recommendations. During the pandemic, 8.6% (95% CI: 6.4%–11.4%) of overall children met the three recommendations. The adherence to the three recommendations during the pandemic was 3.5% lower (p<0.05) than before the pandemic, with significant regional differences (p<0.05). Most children fail to meet the guidelines in any period. The adherence to the three 24-Hour Movement Guidelines during the pandemic was lower than before, with varying degrees of low adherence across different groups.

Keywords

movement behaviors - lifestyle - children - physical activity - sedentary behavior

Supplementary Material



Publication History

Received: 17 July 2024

Accepted after revision: 29 October 2024

Article published online:
09 February 2025

© 2025. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
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