Adherence to the 24-h Movement Behaviors Guidelines and Associations With Cognitive and Behavioral Self-Regulation Among Brazilian Preschoolers

Background: Adherence to 24-h movement guidelines has been associated with early health benefits, including neurodevelopmental outcomes. However, the associations between these guidelines and Cognitive (CSR) and Behavioral (BSR) self-regulation in preschoolers are underexplored. This study investigated the associations between adherence to 24-h movement guidelines and CSR and BSR in Brazilian preschoolers.

Methods: A total of 223 preschoolers (4.76 ± 0.32 years old; 50.67% boys) participated. Physical activity (PA) was assessed with Actigraph wGT3X. Parents reported children's sleep and screen time. CSR was evaluated through iPad games, and BSR was assessed using the Head, Toes, Knees, Shoulders test revised.

Results: Boys showed higher adherence to the PA recommendation than girls (52.2% vs. 32.7%, χ² = 0.003), whereas a higher percentage of girls did not adhere to any recommendations (23.6% vs. 12.4%, χ² = 0.029). Positive association was found between adherence to combined PA and screen time with cognitive flexibility (β = 4.091 [95% CI: 0.699, 7.754]). Adherence to PA was associated with lower BSR scores (β = -7.104 [-13.52, -0.623]), as was adherence to combined PA and sleep duration (β = -8.813 [-15.794, -1.397]).

Conclusion: This study highlighted differences in adherence to movement behavior guidelines between boys and girls, as well as demonstrated that different combinations of these behaviors can affect preschoolers' cognitive and behavioral levels of self-regulation in distinct ways.