(Press-News.org) Pioneering measures to tackle sedentary behaviour among children in China have proved effective, according to new research.
The study, led by the University of Bristol, reveals regulations recently introduced by the Chinese government to reduce school children’s sedentary behaviour by restricting online gaming companies catering for this age group, limiting the amount of homework schoolteachers can assign, and curtailing when private tuition businesses can provide lessons, significantly reduced total sedentary time as well as how long they spent on different sedentary activities. The measures were associated with a 13.8% daily sedentary drop overall, equating to more than three-quarters of an hour less spent daily in this physically inactive mode.
The findings, published today in the International Journal of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity, have important implications for future policies and measures aimed at improving children’s physical and mental wellbeing globally.
Lead author Dr Bai Li, from the Centre for Exercise, Nutrition and Health Sciences at the University’s School for Policy Studies, said: “The results are exciting as this type of regulatory intervention across multiple settings has never been tried before. Traditionally, children and their parents or carers have been guided with education and encouraged to make behavioural changes themselves, which hasn’t really worked.
“With these regulatory measures, the onus has shifted to online gaming companies, schools and, private tutoring companies to comply. This very different approach appears to be more effective, because it is aimed at improving the environment in which children and adolescents live, supporting a healthier lifestyle.”
The team of researchers in the UK and China analysed individually matched surveillance data gathered from more than 7,000 primary and secondary school students in 2020 and 2021, before and after the regulations were introduced. Participants were recruited from 31 urban or rural areas across 14 cities in the Guangxi region of Southern China.
Over this period, statistics showed the average amount of time students spent on sedentary pursuits each day reduced by 46 minutes. This was particularly pronounced among students in urban areas, compared to those from rural areas. Average daily screen-viewing time — including using mobile phones, handheld game consoles, tablets, televisions, games consoles connected to televisions, or computers — reduced by 6.4% (ten minutes).
Students were also shown to be 20% more likely to meet the screen time recommendation of less than two hours daily, applicable in the UK and US, after the regulations were implemented.
The findings revealed students overall were nearly three (2.8) times more likely to meet the Chinese government’s recommendations for the maximum amount of time spent on homework. This likelihood lessened with age, dropping from 3.6 times among primary school children to 2.1 times among secondary school children.
Dr Li, who directs a Master of Science (MSc) Programme in Nutrition, Physical Activity and Public Health said: “Our findings certainly suggest the government regulations may have helped lower sedentary behaviour among children and young people in this region of China. Further research is needed to assess whether such interventions have a similar impact in other regions of China and internationally.”
Prof Boyd Swinburn, Professor of Global Health at the University of Auckland and Co-Director of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention at Deakin University in Melbourne, also a former Co-Chair of World Obesity Federation (WOF) Policy & Prevention section, said: “This is a fascinating study because most interventions to reduce sedentary behaviours have relied on educational approaches rather than the regulatory measures used here.
“While achieving similar regulations in countries outside China may be a challenge, the impact of the regulations does show how sensitive sedentary behaviours are to the prevailing environmental conditions and rules.”
END
World-first regulations to combat sedentary behaviour among children in China show global promise
2024-05-13
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Randomized trial reveals anti-inflammatory power of aerobic exercise in adults with obesity—helping to mitigate risks of metabolic diseases
2024-05-13
New research being presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Venice, Italy (12-15 May), reveals the anti-inflammatory power of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic exercise in adults living with the low-grade inflammation of obesity, shedding light on its potential to help prevent multiple metabolic diseases including type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis (clogged arteries).
Excessive fat accumulation in adipose tissue (fat cells) leads to chronic low-grade inflammation, characterised by chronically elevated levels of ...
UK study in over 80,000 adults finds smokers tend to eat less and have a less healthy diet than non-smokers
2024-05-13
New research being presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Venice, Italy (12-15 May), suggests that smokers tend to eat less and have less healthy eating habits than non-smokers, which could help explain why smokers often gain weight when they quit.
The study, involving over 80,000 UK adults, underscores the importance of providing nutritional and weight management support to smokers, particularly those who are attempting to quit smoking.
People who smoke typically have a lower body weight and body mass index (BMI) than their non-smoking counterparts, ...
Source of sugar may be more important than amount when it comes to the development of obesity in children
2024-05-13
New research being presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Venice, Italy (12-15 May) suggests that the source of sugar is more important than the amount of sugar when it comes to the development of obesity in children.
The study found that the total amount of sugar consumed when very young was not associated with weight at age 10 or 11.
However, children who got a higher proportion of their sugar from unsweetened liquid dairy products (milk and buttermilk) were less likely to go on to live with overweight or obesity.
Similarly, getting more sugar from fruit was associated with less weight gain. However, getting a lot of sugar ...
Heart failure patients who do yoga have stronger hearts and can be more active
2024-05-12
Lisbon, Portugal – 12 May 2024: Yoga focused on breathing, meditation, and relaxation is linked with symptom improvement in patients with heart failure, according to research presented today at Heart Failure 2024, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).1
“Patients who practised yoga on top of taking their medications felt better, were able to do more, and had stronger hearts than those who only took drugs for their heart failure,” said study author Dr. Ajit Singh of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India. “The findings suggest that yoga can be ...
CSUFT-led team creates novel flame-retardant, smoke-suppressing, and superhydrophobic transparent bamboo for future glasses
2024-05-12
Professors Yiqiang Wu and Caichao Wan, along with their team from Central South University of Forestry and Technology (CSUFT), have pioneered a groundbreaking transparent material derived from natural bamboo. This innovative material features a three-layered flame-retardant barrier, effectively reducing heat release, slowing flame spread, and restraining the emission of combustible volatiles, toxic smoke, and CO. Their findings have been documented in the journal Research.
Silica glass, a widely used transparent material in the construction industry, ...
An auxiliary CHD diagnostic system based on multi-view and multi-modal transthoracic echocardiograms
2024-05-12
Congenital heart disease (CHD) is one of the most common congenital anomalies worldwide, which brings a heavy health and financial burden to patients. Early CHD screening and treatment can significantly improve children’s prognosis and quality of life. However, inexperienced sonographers often face difficulties in recognizing CHD through transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) images. An auxiliary CHD screening system that allows inexperienced sonographers and general practitioners to perform TTE in a simple and easy-to-use way, thereby improving the CHD screening rate and scope, is urgently needed.
An Anhui Medical University, National Center for Children's Health and National Research ...
Researchers show genetic variant common among Black Americans contributes to large cardiovascular disease burden
2024-05-12
Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Duke University showed that a genetic variant, present in 3-4% of self-identified Black individuals in the U.S., increases the risk for both heart failure and death and contributes to significant decreases in longevity at the population level
A genetic variant carried by 3-4 percent of self-identified Black Americans increases the risk for heart failure and death, contributing to a significant decrease in longevity at the population level, according to a new study led by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, and Duke University School of Medicine. The ...
Cardiovascular burden of the V142I transthyretin variant
2024-05-12
About The Study: Among self-reported Black individuals, male and female V142I carriers faced similar and substantial risk for heart failure hospitalization, predominantly with reduced ejection fraction, and death, with steep age-dependent penetrance. Delineating the individual contributions of, and complex interplay among, the V142I variant, ancestry, the social construct of race, and biological or social determinants of health to cardiovascular disease merits further investigation.
Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Scott D. Solomon, M.D., email ssolomon@rics.bwh.harvard.edu.
To access the ...
Blood sugar level at gestational diabetes diagnosis linked to harmful outcomes for mothers and babies
2024-05-12
The higher the blood sugar level in pregnant women when first diagnosed with diabetes, the higher the risk of complications around and after birth, according to research presented at the 26th European Congress of Endocrinology in Stockholm. For every 5mg/L above the diagnosis threshold, the risk of newborns having low blood sugar levels, or a large birth weight, rises by 9% and 6%, accordingly, while mothers have a 31% higher risk of diabetes after birth. The findings suggest that high-risk women with gestational diabetes should be classified further to limit these complications for both ...
Large-scale Finnish study discovers link between premature menopause and mortality risk
2024-05-12
Women who enter menopause before the age of 40 are more likely to die young, but may lower their risk with hormone therapy, according to research presented at the 26th European Congress of Endocrinology in Stockholm. This long-term Finnish study is the largest carried out on the association between premature menopause and mortality, which highlights the importance of regular medical checkups and appropriate hormone therapy use in these women.
Most women experience menopause between the ages of 45 and 55. However, about 1% of women go through menopause before the age of 40 years, known as premature menopause or ...