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Child and Parent Physical Activity, Sleep, and Screen Time During COVID-19 and Associations With Mental Health: Implications for Future Psycho-Cardiological Disease?

Version 3 2024-06-19, 09:23
Version 2 2024-05-30, 14:54
Version 1 2023-02-23, 01:21
journal contribution
posted on 2024-06-19, 09:23 authored by Lisa OliveLisa Olive, Emma Sciberras, Tomer BerkowitzTomer Berkowitz, E Hoare, RM Telford, Adrienne O'NeilAdrienne O'Neil, Antonina Mikocka-WalusAntonina Mikocka-Walus, Subhadra EvansSubhadra Evans, Delyse HutchinsonDelyse Hutchinson, Jane McGillivrayJane McGillivray, Michael BerkMichael Berk, SJ Teague, Amanda WoodAmanda Wood, Craig OlssonCraig Olsson, Elizabeth WestruppElizabeth Westrupp
The COVID-19 pandemic has afforded the opportunity for some to improve lifestyle behaviours, while for others it has presented key challenges. Adverse changes in global lifestyle behaviours, including physical activity, sleep, and screen time can affect proximal mental health and in turn distal cardiovascular outcomes. We investigated differences in physical activity, sleep, and screen time in parents and children during early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia compared to pre-COVID-19 national data; and estimated associations between these movement behaviours with parent and child mental health. Cross-sectional baseline data from the COVID-19 Pandemic Adjustment Study (CPAS; N = 2,365) were compared to nationally representative pre-pandemic data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC; N = 9,438). Participants were parents of children aged ≤ 18 years, residing in Australia. Parents provided self-report measures of mental health, physical activity and sleep quality, and reported on child mental health, physical activity and screen time. Children in CPAS had significantly more sleep problems and more weekend screen time. Their parents had significantly poorer sleep quality, despite increased weekly physical activity. Children's sleep problems were significantly associated with increased mental health problems, after accounting for socioeconomic status, physical activity, and screen time. Poorer parent sleep quality and lower levels of physical activity were significantly associated with poorer mental health. Monitoring this cohort over time will be important to examine whether changes in movement behaviour are enduring or naturally improve with the easing of restrictions; and whether these changes have lasting effects on either parent or child mental health, and in turn, future risk for CVD.

History

Journal

Frontiers in Psychiatry

Volume

12

Article number

774858

Pagination

1-13

Location

Lausanne, Switzerland

ISSN

1664-0640

eISSN

1664-0640

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Publisher

Frontiers Media SA