Whole day counts for cognitive development in children

In a new study, researchers at the CHEO Research Institute found that nine- and 10-year-olds who meet the recommendations of the Canadian 24-Hour Physical Activity Travel Guidelines, the time spent screen and sleep have superior overall cognition. The results were published today The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health newspaper.

Researchers from the Healthy Active Living and Obesity (HALO) group at the CHEO Research Institute used data from the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) cognitive brain development study (ABCD) – more than 4,500 American children aged nine and ten. The team examined children's cognition in relation to their levels of physical activity, the use of screen time and sleep time. When children responded to the recommendations, they had higher cognitive measures. Cognition was measured in six ways: language skills, episodic memory, executive function, attention, working memory, and processing speed, using the NIH Youth Toolkit.

"When we looked at the ABCD data, we clearly found that all day is important for the cognitive health of children," says Dr. Jeremy Walsh, lead author of the study, former postdoctoral fellow at the Research Institute. from CHEO and currently Michael Smith. Postdoctoral Fellow of the Health Research Foundation at the University of British Columbia – Okanagan. "The greatest benefit to cognition was when children encountered time spent in front of the screen plus recommendations on sleep time or recommendations on time spent in front of the screen. recommendations, his overall cognition was positive. "

The 24-hour movement guidelines were developed by the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology and led by HALO. They constitute the first guidelines to incorporate motion recommendations for the whole day of a child. In children aged five to 13 years, the guidelines recommend at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-high intensity physical activity, no more than two hours of free time per day and nine to 11 hours of sleep uninterrupted. The study shows that only half of the children responded to the recommendation on sleep time, 36% respected the recommendation for time spent in front of the screen and only 17% satisfied the recommendation regarding the time spent on the screen. physical activity.

"Changing children's lifestyle habits toward low physical activity, reduced sleep, and consistent use of screen time can be a threat to cognitive development," says Dr. Mark Tremblay. , Senior Scientist at the CHEO Research Institute. Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa and lead author of the paper. "We need to do more to encourage healthy activity behaviors throughout the day. There is a positive relationship between overall child cognition, future school success, and all-cause mortality. If children do not follow the recommendations, their healthy development may be threatened. "

The ABCD is a 10-year longitudinal observational study on brain development in American children. Data were collected from more than 4,500 US children aged nine and 10 at 20 study sites across the country.

Explore more:
CSEP Announces New Canadian 24-Hour Travel Guidelines for Children and Youth