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Cited by 102Physical Activity and HealthChild Development and Digital TechnologyObesity, Physical Activity, Diet

Interventions to reduce sedentary behaviour in 0–5-year-olds: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

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Downing, Katherine L, Hnatiuk, Jill A, Hinkley, Trina, Salmon, Jo, Hesketh, Kylie D·2018·British Journal of Sports Medicine
DOI 10.1136/bjsports-2016-096634PMC PMC5867408
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Abstract

Aim or objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of behavioural interventions that report sedentary behaviour outcomes during early childhood. Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Data sources: Academic Search Complete, CINAHL Complete, Global Health, MEDLINE Complete, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus with Full Text and EMBASE electronic databases were searched in March 2016. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies: Inclusion criteria were: (1) published in a peer-reviewed English language journal; (2) sedentary behaviour outcomes reported; (3) randomised controlled trial (RCT) study design; and (4) participants were children with a mean age of ≤5.9 years and not yet attending primary/elementary school at postintervention. Results: 31 studies were included in the systematic review and 17 studies in the meta-analysis. The overall mean difference in screen time outcomes between groups was −17.12 (95% CI −28.82 to −5.42) min/day with a significant overall intervention effect (Z=2.87, p=0.004). The overall mean difference in sedentary time between groups was −18.91 (95% CI −33.31 to −4.51) min/day with a significant overall intervention effect (Z=2.57, p=0.01). Subgroup analyses suggest that for screen time, interventions of ≥6 months duration and those conducted in a community-based setting are most effective. For sedentary time, interventions targeting physical activity (and reporting changes in sedentary time) are more effective than those directly targeting sedentary time. Summary/conclusions: Despite heterogeneity in study methods and results, overall interventions to reduce sedentary behaviour in early childhood show significant reductions, suggesting that this may be an opportune time to intervene. Trial registration number: CRD42015017090.

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  • Interventions to promote healthy screen habits and physical activity are more effective when embedded in community settings.

    “Interventions to promote healthy screen habits and physical activity are more effective when they are embedded in community settings.266”

    From Digital Ecosystems, Children, and Adolescents: Technical Report (2026) · cites this paper as [266]

    The Results > Meta-analysis and Discussion (page not available) say community-based interventions had the highest overall effect on screen time among children aged 0–5. They do not establish that community settings make interventions more effective at increasing physical activity; physical activity was discussed as an intervention target, not as the outcome of this setting comparison. (LLM, conf=0.87)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • A meta-analysis of behavioral interventions and sedentary behaviors among 0- to 5-year-olds found that longer interventions (over 6 months) and community-based settings were most effective.

    “One meta-analysis examining behavioral interventions and sedentary behaviors among 0- to 5-year-olds found that interventions of longer durations (greater than 6 months) and those conducted in community-based settings were most effective.266”

    From Digital Ecosystems, Children, and Adolescents: Technical Report (2026) · cites this paper as [266]

    The Results > Meta-analysis and Discussion report that interventions lasting ≥6 months and those in community-based settings were most effective for reducing screen time in children aged 0–5. The claim extends that finding to sedentary behaviour generally: the same Results section found no significant difference by intervention length for overall sedentary time. The paper uses ≥6 months, not strictly greater than 6 months. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Downing, K. L., Hnatiuk, J. A., Hinkley, T., Salmon, J., & Hesketh, K. D.
Affiliations
Deakin University (AU)
Corresponding author
Downing, Katherine L
ORCID
Venue
British Journal of Sports Medicine
Publisher
BMJ
Published
2016-10-06
Volume
52
Issue
5
Pages
314-321
ISSN
  • 0306-3674 (ISSN-L)
  • 1473-0480
DOI
10.1136/bjsports-2016-096634
PMC
PMC5867408
OpenAlex
W2528507787
Cited by
102
References
3
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 1
FWCI
0.47
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by-nc
Locations
  • British Journal of Sports Medicine (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Own your potential (DEAKIN) (acceptedVersion)
  • HighWire Press Open Archive (acceptedVersion)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
  • Medical Research Council (APP1070571)
  • National Health and Medical Research Council (100370, 1026216, FT130100637, 1092876, 1070571)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Physical Activity and Health
  • Social Sciences › Education › Child Development and Digital Technology
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
Keywords
sedentary behavior, early childhood, screen time, behavioral interventions, physical activity, intervention effectiveness, community-based intervention, intervention duration
MeSH terms
Child Behavior, Child, Preschool, Health Promotion, Humans, Exercise, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Sedentary Behavior

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