Having a structured environment for children, whether during school days or when stuck in quarantine as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, could benefit children鈥檚 health, according to new research from the 麻豆原创.
In a study of more than 50 rural schoolchildren over the course of two weeks, researchers found that behaviors that lead to obesity 鈥� like too much sedentary behavior or screen time 鈥� dropped on school days compared to non-school days, while amounts of activity increased. The results were published recently in the journal Childhood Obesity.
The findings are important because more than 20 percent of U.S. children ages 6 to 11 are obese, which could lead to problems such as type 2 diabetes or other diseases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The researchers focused on rural children because they are at increased risk for obesity compared to their urban-dwelling counterparts. Additionally, rural children鈥檚 obesogenic behaviors have not been studied as much, says Keith Brazendale, an assistant professor in 麻豆原创鈥檚 and the study鈥檚 lead author.
These behaviors can include low physical activity, poor diets, irregular sleep and excess screen and media time.
The researchers used wristband accelerometers to compare the students鈥� physical activity and sleep on school and non-school days in addition to diaries of daily activities, diet and screen time that were recorded by the parents.
They found that children accumulated an average of 16 additional minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day on school days compared to non-school days.
Furthermore, students reduced their average daily sedentary time by about an hour each day and their screen time by about an hour and half each day on school days compared to non-school days.
In a separate study of a sub-sample of the rural children, the researchers found that rural children exhibited accelerated weight gain during five months of home quarantine due to the closure of schools and community-operated programs.
鈥淭his supports the benefit of attending schools and programs,鈥� Brazendale says.
To combat obesogenic behaviors on non-school days or during quarantine, some sort of structured program, or at least a structured schedule for children on those days is recommended, Brazendale says.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not necessarily the program itself that always provides the direct benefit, but the presence of 鈥榓ttending something鈥� seems to shape behaviors outside of the program鈥檚 operating hours and almost sets a default schedule for the day for the child, like when they wake up or go to bed, or when they eat,鈥� Brazendale says.
The researcher specializes in examining elementary school-aged children鈥檚 obesogenic behaviors during different times of the year, especially those from low-income and minority populations.
His and that of others鈥� suggest that children鈥檚 behaviors are healthier when they have consistent routine and structure in their day-to day lives, such as on school days compared to other times when structure is not necessarily as present, such as in the summer or on weekends.
He says that even on rainy days or when it鈥檚 not safe to go outside, organizing a plan of activities 鈥� even if they take place in the home 鈥� can be a good way to keep children engaged in healthy consistent routines.
鈥淭his means maybe having a very loose schedule that has time for children鈥檚 snack, free play time, maybe some indoor exercises that don鈥檛 require a lot of space such as aerobics, dancing to music, or even yoga,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 also encourage rule-setting around screen and media time, especially in the evening as bedtime approaches, as this can be beneficial for the child.鈥�
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that children and adolescents ages 6 through 17 do 60 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily. Screen time should be limited to one to two hours a day, according to the CDC.
Study co-authors included 麻豆原创 health sciences undergraduate students Michael Blankenship 鈥�21 and Serina Rayan 鈥�21, a Burnett Honors Scholar; biomedical sciences majors Daniel Eisenstein and Alejandra Rey 鈥�21. Jeanette Garcia and Cassie L. Odahowski, assistant professors in 麻豆原创鈥檚 Department of Health Sciences; and Ana Leon, a professor in 麻豆原创鈥檚 , were also co-authors on this project.
Brazendale earned his doctorate in exercise science from the University of South Carolina-Columbia. He joined 麻豆原创鈥檚 Department of Health Sciences, part of the , in 2019.
