Clustering of 24-H Movement Behaviours and Its Associations With Eating Behaviours and Adiposity Among Mongolian Preschool Children: A Cross-Sectional Study.
Ankhmaa Byambaa, Rachel A Jones, Kar Hau Chong and 3 others
PMID 40238925WHAT IT FOUND
Preschoolers who spent the most time on screens had significantly poorer eating habits, including more sugary drinks and snacks.
However, their weight status did not differ from other groups. Screen use may track with diet, but this study did not link it to obesity in young children.
Key findings
01Children in the 'Screeners' cluster had significantly lower eating behaviour scores and higher consumption of sugary drinks and unhealthy snacks compared to other clusters.
02There was no significant difference in BMI z-scores or weight status between the three movement behaviour clusters.
03Almost half of the children were classified into clusters with mixed healthy and unhealthy behaviours, suggesting patterns are complex rather than purely good or bad.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The study used a convenience sample of preschoolers in Mongolia, limiting generalisability to other populations. The cross-sectional design cannot determine if screen use causes poor eating or if they simply co-occur. BMI z-score is a crude measure of adiposity and may not capture body composition differences in young children. The sample size was small (176 analysed), reducing statistical power to detect subtle associations with weight status.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that screen time causes obesity in this age group. While screen use was linked to poorer eating habits, there was no significant difference in weight status between the high-screen and low-screen clusters in this study.