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peer-reviewed, Background: This study assessed gender-specific associations between BMI and social-emotional wellbeing (SEW) among differentially active 7-year-old children. Methods: Data is from wave four of the UK Millennium Cohort Study, collected in 2007-08. Children wore an ActiGraph accelerometer for 7 consecutive days and measures of stature and body mass were taken. BMI was calculated from stature and body mass (kg/m²). Parents/carers completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Six-thousand-eleven children (3073 girls) had complete data. Mean minutes per day spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) were calculated for each child. Gender-specific MVPA quartile cut-off values categorised boys and girls separately into four graded groups representing the least (Q1) through to the most active (Q4) children. Adjusted linear regression analyses examined associations between BMI and SDQ scores. Gender-specific analyses were conducted separately for MVPA quartiles. Results: BMI was positively associated with peer problems for Q1 and Q2 boys and girls, conduct problems for Q2 and Q4 boys, emotional problems and prosocial behaviour for Q2 boys, and total difficulty scores for Q1 girls and Q2 boys (p<0.05). Conclusions: Our results revealed that BMI was positively associated with SEW difficulties among the low active children but not the high active children. Further research examining the concurrent effect of diet and MVPA on child weight status and SEW is needed.

peer-reviewed, Multi-component school-based interventions provide physical activity (PA) opportunities for children but are often difficult for schools to execute and may not be implemented as intended. The primary aim of this study was to explore the acceptability and feasibility of three brief single component primary school PA interventions targeting 9–10-year-old children. The secondary aim was to examine the effectiveness of the interventions on increasing PA levels and reducing sedentary time. The single-component interventions included active classroom breaks (AB; 3 schools; n = 119 children) Born to Move (BTM) exercise videos (2 schools; n = 50 children), and playground supervisory staff training (2 schools; n = 56 children). Qualitative data from participating children (n = 211), class teachers (n = 6), and playground supervisory staff (n = 8) explored the experiences, acceptability, and feasibility of each intervention component. Accelerometers were worn by 225 children during the last week of implementation. Teachers reported that they were able to implement ABs daily, but BTM videos were more difficult to implement daily because of accessing sufficient space. Playground staff reported difficulties in implementing activities due to children’s age and competing responsibilities on the staffs’ time. Children reported that the ABs and BTM videos were enjoyable. During half hour time windows, including the ABs and BTM videos, children engaged in 4.8 min and 8.6 min of moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) on average, respectively. ABs and BTM videos positively affected MVPA. ABs were feasible to implement; however, teachers faced some barriers in implementing the BTM videos. Feasibility of playground interventions may be dependent on staff responsibilities and age of the children.

peer-reviewed, Background: Movement behaviours performed over a finite period such as a 24 h day are compositional data. Compositional data exist in a constrained simplex geometry that is incongruent with traditional multivariate analytical techniques. However, the expression of compositional data as log-ratio co-ordinate systems transfers them to the unconstrained real space, where standard multivariate statistics can be used. This study aimed to use a compositional data analysis approach to examine the adiposity and cardiorespiratory fitness predictions of time reallocations between children’s daily movement behaviours. Methods: This study used cross-sectional data from the Active Schools: Skelmersdale study, which involved Year 5 children from a low-income community in northwest England (n = 169). Measures included accelerometer-derived 24 h activity (sedentary time [ST], light physical activity [LPA], moderate-to-vigorous physical activity [MVPA], and sleep), cardiorespiratory fitness determined by the 20 m shuttle run test, objectively measured height, weight and waist circumference (from which zBMI and percent waist circumference-to-height ratio (%WHtR) were derived) and sociodemographic covariates. Log-ratio multiple linear regression models were used to predict adiposity and fitness for the mean movement behaviour composition, and for new compositions where fixed durations of time had been reallocated from one behaviour to another, while the remaining behaviours were unchanged. Predictions were also made for reallocations of fixed durations of time using the mean composition of three different weight status categories (underweight, normal-weight, and overweight/obese) as the starting point. Results: Replacing MVPA with any other movement behaviour around the mean movement composition predicted higher adiposity and lower CRF. The log-ratio model predictions were asymmetrical: when time was reallocated to MVPA from sleep, ST, or LPA, the estimated detriments to fitness and a