Funding outcome

Findings from my Master's degress found that young children (2-5 years of age) engaged in sub-optimal levels of sleep, sedentary behaviour, and physical activity (collectively called 'movement behaviours'). This is alarming considering movement behaviour habits form in young children and carry forward into later life where sub-optimal movement behaviours are associated with many chronic diseases. Thus, young children are a crucial age to promote movement behaviours for lifelong chronic disease prevention. Movement behaviours have traditionally been studied separately, but recent advances have shown the importance of the interactions between movement behaviours. However, since this area of research is very new it will require systematic advancement. One such systematic approach comes from an established framework in the field of behavioural epidemiology (Behavioural Epidemiology Framework). This framework proposes initial phases of research which are to: develop methods for measuring the behaviours, establish links between behaviours and health, and identify factors that influence the behaviours. The objective of my PhD is to advance the area of movement behaviours in young children using the Behavioural Epidemiology Framework. I will address this objective with three studies, which will all use motion sensors to measure movement behaviours. One limitation of motion sensors in young children is that there is no accurate method to categorize the data into sleep. Therefore for study one, I will use advanced computational science techniques to classify sleep in motion sensor data. For study two, I will explore the links between movement behaviours and obesity. However, since movement behaviours are not independent (e.g., sleeping one less hour requires one more hour of another behaviour in a 24-hour period), an advanced statistical technique will be used to analyze the data accurately. For study three, using a measure I previously validated, I will examine how parents and children being together or separate influences children's movement behaviours. Systematically advancing the study of movement behaviours in young children, will allow future researchers to create successful interventions that foster healthy movement behaviour habits in young children.