Childhood is a critical period for the development of movement behaviours such as physical activity, sleep and sedentary behaviour. The PLAYCE Cohort was established to investigate how movement behaviours change over early to middle childhood, across key behaviour settings and relationships with health and development. An overview of the PLAYCE cohort, summary of key findings to date, and future research opportunities are presented in this paper. Children were recruited at 2-5 years of age (preschool; Wave 1) via early childhood education and care (ECEC) services and were followed up in their first year of full-time school (5-7 years; Wave 2) and again at 8-10 years (Wave 3; in progress). Children’s movement behaviours were measured via parent-report and accelerometry. Social-emotional development, motor development, weight status, diet, and child and family socio-demographics were parent-reported. Physical environmental features of children’s key behaviour settings (home, neighbourhood, ECEC and school) were collected using geo-spatial and audit data. Suburb-level socio-economic status for the home, ECEC and school were derived from the Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA).
At Wave 1 (2-5 years), only 8% of children met all three recommendations of the Australian 24-hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years. Meeting all recommendations was positively associated with boys social-emotional development. Physical environment features of the home yard (size, play equipment, natural features) were positively associated with preschool children’s physical activity. Tree canopy and more portable play equipment in ECEC outdoor areas was positively associated with children’s outdoor time and physical activity. Future research opportunities include examining the trajectories of movement behaviours across childhood and what socio-economic indicators and other family factors are associated with trajectories, particularly for those children experiencing disadvantage.
The findings of the PLAYCE Cohort Study can inform national and international 24-Hour Movement Guidelines and interventions regarding children’s movement behaviours. In 2024, Wave 3 (8-10 years) data collection will be completed and traditional longitudinal and compositional data analysis of the PLAYCE cohort will be undertaken. Three waves of data will provide detailed patterns of movement behaviours and their effect on child health and development as well as the environmental influences on children’s movement behaviours across early to middle childhood.