TY - JOUR T1 - Which variables influence compliance with physical activity recommendations in young children? JO - Anales de Pediatría (English Edition) T2 - AU - Ana,Gutierrez-Hervas AU - Ernesto,Cortés-Castell AU - Mercedes,Juste-Ruíz AU - Mercedes,Rizo-Baeza SN - 23412879 M3 - 10.1016/j.anpede.2019.05.006 DO - 10.1016/j.anpede.2019.05.006 UR - https://analesdepediatria.org/en-which-variables-influence-compliance-with-articulo-S2341287919301784 AB - IntroductionThere are established European guidelines for physical activity in childhood. The main goal of our study was to determine the factors that may influence compliance with European recommendations for physical activity in young children. MethodsWe included 136 children (aged 2–8 years) classified by weight status, calculated based on the body mass index z-score using the growth standards of the World Health Organization. We measured physical activity over 5 consecutive days with accelerometers and recorded the food intake. ResultsA greater level of physical activity was associated with a lower weight status category (B = −1.55; 95% CI, −2.02 to −1.08, P < .001), lower age (B = −1.33; 95% CI, −1.72 to −0.93, P < .001) and greater energy expenditure (B = 0.02; 95% CI, 0.02 to 0.03, P < .001). The overall physical activity in the sample was light (mean = 589 cpm/day). Children with overweight and obesity spent less time engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity (P = .005) and more time engaged in sedentary activities (P = .005) compared to children with normal weight. All groups spent between 90 and 130 min a day in sedentary activities, with a mean time spent that amounted to 15.5% of their time (excluding time spent sleeping). The adherence to European recommendations varied in association with sex (P = .010) and weight status (P = .038). ConclusionYoung children spent more than 100 min a day engaged in sedentary activities. Most of the sample met the European recommendations for daily moderate to vigorous physical activity. However, the degree of adherence depended on sex and weight status. ER -