Association Between Meeting 24-Hour Movement Behavior Guidelines and Adiposity Among Portuguese Children.

PURPOSE: To determine the association between meeting 24-hour movement guidelines and markers of adiposity in children, including body mass index, waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio, and percentage body fat. METHODS: The sample included 910 children aged 6-10 years from Northern Portugal. Meeting the 24-hour movement guidelines was defined as (1) moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA): ≥60 minutes per day, (2) sleep: 9 to 11 hours/night, and (3) screen time: ≤2 hours per day. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and sleep duration were assessed with wrist-worn accelerometry over 7 days, and screen time was assessed by parental report. RESULTS: A total of 5.4% of the sample met none of the guidelines, whereas 23% met all 3 guidelines. Children who met individual guidelines (MVPA, screen time, and sleep) had significantly lower levels of body mass index z-scores and waist circumference, whereas those who met the MVPA and sleep guidelines had lower waist-to-height ratio. Those who met the MVPA guideline had lower percentage body fat than those who did not. There were significant linear trends (all P < .01) between the number of guidelines met (0, 1, 2, and 3) and lower levels of all markers of adiposity. CONCLUSIONS: We found significant associations between meeting 24-hour guidelines and lower levels of adiposity among Portuguese children.