Relações transversais e longitudinais entre comportamentos de movimento - 24 horas e autorregulação em pré-escolares

Abstract

Introduction: Self-regulation (SR) is a critical component of child development, encompassing cognitive (CSR), emotional (ESR), and behavioral (BSR) domains. It has been reported that movement behaviors, such as physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior (SB), and sleep, may influence the development of SR in early childhood. However, the current evidence on the associations between these behaviors and SR domains in preschoolers is limited and presents mixed results. Therefore, it is essential to further investigate these relationships, including not only the interaction between these behaviors over 24 hours but also the potential effects of PA interventions on these behaviors and SR in preschoolers. Objective: To investigate the possible cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between 24-hour movement behaviors and SR domains in preschoolers. Methodology: The development of this thesis involved three stages, which led to four studies. The theoretical investigation stage culminated in a bibliometric analysis of PA intervention studies and outcomes in the cognition of children and adolescents. Publications between 2009 and 2019, indexed in the Web of Science database, were selected. Mesh terms and keywords were used to search for studies. The Vantage Point software was used to normalize terms, and the bibliometric maps were constructed using VOSviewer software. The second stage consisted of investigating cross-sectional relationships, comprising the development of two studies: 1) The relationship between adherence to 24-hour movement behaviors and CSR and BSR in preschoolers; and 2) The association between 24-hour movement behaviors and CSR and BSR in preschoolers: a compositional and isotemporal analysis. These studies included 223 preschoolers aged 4 to 5 years, enrolled in public preschools in the municipality of Petrolina (PE), Brazil. CSR was assessed using the Early Years Toolbox (EYT) battery tests, considering Inhibitory Control (IC), Visuospatial Working Memory (VSWM), and Cognitive Flexibility (CF). BSR was evaluated using the Head, Toes, Knees, and Shoulders (HTKS) revised. PA and SB were objectively measured for seven days using an ActiGraph GT3X accelerometer. Sleep and screen-based SB were assessed through reports from parents/primary caregivers. The third stage, of longitudinal approach, aimed to investigate the effects of a PA intervention, based on an educational gymnastics protocol, on SR, Fundamental Motor Skills (FMS), and movement behaviors of preschoolers. This phase involved the participation of two municipal Early Childhood Education Centers, which were randomized into experimental (n=60) and control (n=60) groups. In addition to the tests used in the cross-sectional studies, subjective SR was assessed using the Child Self-regulation & Behaviour Questionnaire (CSBQ) from the EYT battery - Brazilian version, considering CSRCSBQ, BSR-CSBQ, and ESR-CSBQ, as well as the Gross Motor Development Test (TGMD) - 3rd edition used to assess FMS in locomotion (LOC) and ball skills (BS). All measurements were conducted in three phases: pre-intervention (July/August 2022), post-intervention (November/December 2022), and 12 weeks after the end of the intervention (Follow-up – March/April 2023). Results: In the theoretical phase, a robust collaboration network was observed among authors from high-income countries, with a predominant focus on executive functions and a scarcity of studies directed at the preschool phase, demonstrating the need for more research focused on this specific age group. The cross-sectional studies revealed that adherence to PA and screen time recommendations was positively associated with CF ([β = 4.091091 (95% CI: 0.699, 7.754)]), while adherence to PA and sleep recommendations was negatively associated with BSR ([β = -8.813 (95% CI: -15.794, -1.397)]). The compositional analysis demonstrated that the composition of movement behaviors positively impacts BSR (13%) and that theoretical substitutions of moderate to vigorous PA with light PA and SB could 16 potentially improve BSR. In the longitudinal phase, the experimental group involved in educational gymnastics showed higher scores in IC (0.78 vs 0.59, p = 0.002), CF (7.51 vs 3.47, p < 0.001), and directly and indirectly measured BSR BSR directly = 72.76 vs 44.61, p = 0.007; BRS-CSBQ = 3.89 vs 3.03, p = 0.041), but a reduction in light PA time (307.9 vs 347.0, p = 0.034) compared to the control group post-intervention. Significant effects were observed in the follow-up period only for directly measured BSR in the experimental group (pre: 72.76; post: 81.64, p < 0.001). Both groups improved TGMD (Exppre = 46.73 vs Exppost = 63.95, p<0.001; Conpre = 49.81 vs Conpost = 58.13, p<0,05) and LOC scores (Exppre = 24.02 vs Exppost = 35.89, p<0.001; Conpre = 26.73 vs Conpost = 33.18, p<0,001), but only the experimental group demonstrated increases in BS (pre = 22.87 vs post = 28.21, p<0.001). Conclusion: This thesis evidenced an international network of publications in the area of PA interventions, with less emphasis on the preschool phase and predominantly from high-income countries. Empirical cross-sectional evidence suggests that the relationships between movement behaviors and SR vary according to the SR domain, as well as how the behaviors are analyzed, with positive associations for BSR when movement behaviors are observed in a composition. Experimental evidence demonstrated that a PA intervention using an educational gymnastics approach was effective in improving IC, CF, and BSR post-intervention, but with sustained effects only on BSR.