Associations of 24-hour movement guidelines adherence with social function and academic performance in youth with anxiety problems.

PURPOSE: Anxiety problems are prevalent among children and adolescents (being referred as youth), often impairing their social and academic functioning, while healthy lifestyles as outlined in 24-hour movement (24-HBM) guidelines may offer potential benefits, yet their specific associations remain understudied. This study is to explore the associations between 24-HMB adherence and social and academic functioning in U.S. youth aged 6-17 years with anxiety problems.

METHOD: Data from the 2022-2023 National Survey of Children's Health was utilized in this cross-sectional study, involving 3625 children and adolescents with anxiety problems. 24-HBM guidelines include a daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) duration of at least 60 min, daily recreational screen time (ST) of ≤ 2 h, and age-specific sleep duration (SP). Statistical analyses were conducted to examine the relationships between 24-HBM adherence and social functioning (e.g., difficulty keeping friends, self-regulation) and academic functioning (e.g., school engagement, grade repetition).

RESULTS

Only 5.7 % of participants fully adhered to 24-HBM guidelines. Adhering to one or more components was associated with better social and academic functioning: physical activity (PA) guideline adherence was pivotal for reducing difficulties in making/keeping friends; ST guidline adherence was key for enhancing school engagement. Adherence to combined guidelines (e.g., PA+ST, PA+SP) showed synergistic effects, with full adherence (PA + ST +SP) linked to lower odds of grade repetition and better self-regulation.

CONCLUSION

Promoting 24-HBM guideline adherence, particularly PA and ST components, may enhance specific health aspects in this unique group. Future longitudinal studies should be conducted to further verify study findings.