Movement behaviors, psychosocial well-being and childhood obesity: the IDEFICS/I.Family cohort.

Abstract

Understanding the association between movement behaviors and psychosocial well-being at a young age seems essential for effective interventions and moving friendly environments, particularly in the context of childhood obesity. to examine the association between adherence to movement behavior guidelines and psychosocial well-being, and whether obesity indices moderate this association. The IDEFICS/IFamily cohort followed European children aged 2-16 years over 6 years, including 7359 repeated observations across three waves. Longitudinal associations between adherence to movement behavior recommendations and psychological well-being were assessed using generalized linear models. Obesity indicators, z-score body mass index (z-BMI) and z-score waist circumference (z-BMI) were used to test their moderating role. Lower adherence to movement behaviors was negatively associated with psychosocial well-being (β = -0.39, 95%CI: -0.77, 0.00), with stronger effects in males (β = -0.70, 95%CI: -1.20, -0.20). Moreover, effects were larger in participants with overweight/obesity (β = -1.29, 95%CI: -2.21, -0.37). Obesity indices moderated the association between movement behaviors and psychosocial well-being (β = -0.40, 95%CI: -0.80, -0.06 for z-BMI; β = -0.36, 95%CI: -0.82, -0.03 for z-WC). Adherence to movement behavior guidelines was associated with psychosocial well-being, especially in males and individuals with overweight or obesity. These findings highlight the potential relevance of movement behavior patterns for psychosocial well-being and obesity prevention, while acknowledging the observational nature of the data.