Globalization has had a profound impact on energy balance-related behaviours (EBRBs) such as diet, screen time, physical activity, and sleep, contributing to the development of fat mass from an early age. Indeed, the high prevalence of overweight and obesity in children remains a major challenge worldwide, and the European continent is no exception, even though globalization has occurred at different rates between regions.
The family environment is a key setting for promoting healthy behaviours in young children, given the crucial role played by parents in establishing routines and habits. However, studies investigating the link between EBRBs, the family environment, and the risk of overweight have so far mainly focused on individual behaviours, even though they coexist. Their combinations into "multi-behavioural" profiles could have synergistic effects on health and well-being that are more or less favourable.
This research project aimed to compare multi-behavioural profiles of preschool children in different European countries, to analyse their links with family socio-demographic factors, and to evaluate their association with body mass index (BMI), considered as a proxy for the risk of overweight and obesity.
To achieve this objective, harmonized data from nine birth cohorts of the EU Child Cohort Network, including EDEN, were used.
In all cohorts, a common multi-behavioural profile emerged, characterized by frequent consumption of low-nutritional-quality foods, high screen time, little outdoor play time, and limited sleep. Consistently across all cohorts, children from low-income backgrounds and born to mothers with a low level of education had higher scores on this profile than children from more advantaged socio-economic backgrounds. This profile was associated with higher BMI in the Spanish and Italian cohorts.
These results illustrate the context-dependent nature of EBRBs in relation to the risk of overweight and obesity in children and are useful for informing early multi-behavioural interventions aimed at reducing social health inequalities at the European level.
Authors: Alexandra Descarpentrie and Sandrine Lioret.
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