Abstract

Short sleep duration in childhood has been associated with an increased risk of overweight and obesity. Research suggests that physical activity might mediate this association; however, studies examining associations between physical activity and sleep in young children have reported equivocal findings. A possible explanation for these inconsistencies is that past studies have looked at total physical activity counts rather than examining physical activity regularity. We aim to explore the relationship of regular physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep in preschoolers and kindergartners. 131 children (ages 4-6) were included in this study. Each child wore a waist-worn accelerometer for three days and three nights. Waist-worn accelerometers reliably measure sleep and physical activity in children. Associations of regular physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sufficient sleep were determined using logistic regression models. There was no association between the number of days that children engaged in physical activity (≥ 60 minutes) and sufficient sleep. Further, there was no association between the number of days that children engaged in ≥ 20 minutes of vigorous activity and sufficient sleep. Children who engaged in minimal sedentary activity had greater odds of obtaining sufficient sleep as compared to children who engaged in more sedentary activity.

Degree

MS

College and Department

Family, Home, and Social Sciences; Psychology

Rights

http://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/

Date Submitted

2016-06-01

Document Type

Thesis

Handle

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/etd8579

Keywords

sleep, physical activity, sedentary activity, children

Language

english

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