Compositional data analysis of the associations among 24-hour movement behaviours and cognitive development of preschoolers across Canada: a SUNRISE study

Children experience rapid cognitive development throughout the preschool years. Movement behaviours (sleep, sedentary behaviour, physical activity) may be associated with cognitive development during this critical period. When assessed using compositional data analysis, findings are inconsistent and differences between demographic subgroups (3- versus 4-year-olds, males/females, urban/rural) are largely ignored. This cross-sectional study examined the associations among compositional movement behaviours and cognitive development in preschoolers across Canada, including potential differences by age, sex, and urbanicity. Movement behaviours were measured over 7 days with waist-worn ActiGraph wGT3X+ accelerometers. Children’s inhibition and working memory were assessed with validated Early Years Toolbox iPad assessments. Compositional substitution and Goldilocks analyses were conducted. Based on data from 654 preschoolers from across Canada ( M age = 47.4 ± 6.7 months; 53% male), the movement behaviour composition was significantly associated with inhibition ( R 2 = 0.03, p < 0.001) and working memory ( R 2 = 0.02, p = 0.001) in unadjusted models but was no longer significant after adjusting for covariates. Replacing light physical activity (LPA) with sedentary time was associated with better inhibition. No significant reallocations arose in subgroups. Goldilocks analysis revealed the following optimal days for inhibition and working memory, respectively (minutes/day): moderate-to-vigorous physical activity ([MVPA], 118; 164), sleep (726; 664), LPA (258; 323), and sedentary time (337; 288). In both cases, sleep values fell within the 24-hour movement guidelines, while optimal values for LPA and MVPA were 1–2 hours higher than current recommendations. Movement behaviours may play a role in preschool cognitive development, though the magnitude of this effect is likely small. Based on our findings, meeting sleep recommendations, engaging in more than twice the recommended amount of MVPA, and maintaining modest sedentary time was associated with optimal inhibition and working memory in this age group. This information serves as a useful point of comparison for researchers in this area; however, more work is needed to establish the utility of movement behaviours in terms of their relationship with preschooler cognitive development.