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Changes in Children's Sleep and Physical Activity During a One-week versus a Three-week Break from School: A natural experiment.

Sleep 2018 October 25
Study Objectives: To examine changes in elementary aged children's sleep and physical activity during a one-week and a three-week school break.

Methods: Sleep and physical activity of elementary children (n=154, age=5-9 years, 44.8% female, 65.5% African American) were collected over seven weeks that included a one-week break in two schools and a three-week break in a single school. Mixed regression models estimated sleep and physical activity changes within and between groups (i.e., one-week vs. three-weeks) during school and school break weeks.

Results: Compared to school weeks, bed times shifted 72.7 (95CI=57.5, 87.9) and 75.4 (95CI=58.1, 92.7) minutes later on weekdays during the one-week and three-week break, respectively. Wake times shifted 111.6 (95CI=94.3, 128.9) and 99.8 (95CI=80.5, 119.1) minutes later on weekdays during one-week and three-week breaks. On weekdays during the three-week break, children engaged in 33.1 (95CI=14.1, 52.2) more sedentary minutes and -12.2 (-20.2, -4.2) fewer moderate-to-vigorous physical activity minutes/day. No statistically significant changes in children's sedentary, light, or MVPA minutes were observed on weekdays during the one-week break. Between group differences in the change in time sedentary (32.1-95CI=5.8, 58.4), and moderate-to-vigorous (-13.0-95CI=-23.9, -2.0) physical activity were observed.

Conclusions: Children's sleep shifted later on both one-week and three-week breaks. Children's activity changed minimally on weekdays during a one-week school break and more during a three-week school break. Displaced sleep and reductions in activity are intervention targets for mitigating unhealthy weight gain during extended breaks from school.

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