Associations between sedentary types, sedentary patterns and cognitive ability in preschool children

The preschool years are a critical period for developing cognitive abilities such as reasoning, memorization, comprehension, quick thinking, and problem-solving. Sedentary behavior (SB) is known to be associated with cognitive development in preschool children. However, limited research has focused on how different types of SB (active, passive) and sedentary patterns (bouts, breaks) affect preschool children’s cognitive abilities. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate: (1) the relationship between sedentary types and preschoolers’ cognitive abilities; and (2) the relationship between sedentary patterns and preschoolers’ cognitive abilities. Preschoolers aged 3 to 6 years (n = 353) were recruited from 5 kindergartens in Changsha, Hunan, China. Sedentary types were reported by parents, sedentary patterns were measured by preschoolers wearing an ActiGraph wGT3X-BT for seven consecutive days, and cognitive abilities were assessed using the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI-IV). The relationships between variables were analyzed using multiple linear regression models. Non-screen-based active SB was associated with higher full-scale IQ and fluid reasoning index in boys and higher visual spatial index in girls. Screen-based active SB was negatively associated with overall cognitive ability. Passive SB potentially had a negative effect on overall cognitive ability, but screen-based passive SB was positively associated with higher fluid reasoning indices in girls. Preschoolers’ cognitive ability was positively associated with sedentary breaks, but not with sedentary bouts.

Conclusions: Not all types of SB are equal when examining optimal cognitive development in preschoolers. Frequent breaks from sedentary time were associated with better cognitive development. Encouraging more frequent breaks to interrupt prolonged SB may be a viable strategy for reducing sedentary time to promote optimal cognitive development. These findings should be further validated in larger prospective studies.