Context
To date, no reviews have investigated the evidence of tracking of physical activity
and sedentary behavior specifically during early childhood (aged 0–5.9 years) or from
early childhood to middle childhood (aged 6–12 years). It is important to review the
evidence of tracking of these behaviors to determine their stability during the foundational
early years of life.
Evidence acquisition
A literature search of studies was conducted in seven electronic databases (January
1980 to April 2012). Studies were compared on methodologic quality and evidence of
tracking of physical activity or sedentary behavior. Tracking was defined as the stability
(or relative ranking within a cohort) of behaviors, such as physical activity and
sedentary behavior, over time.
Evidence synthesis
Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria. All studies reporting physical activity
outcomes had high methodologic quality; 71% of studies reporting sedentary behavior
outcomes had high methodologic quality. Of the tracking coefficients for physical
activity, 4% were large, 60% were moderate, and 36% were small. Of the tracking coefficients
for sedentary behavior, 33% were large, 50% were moderate, and 17% were small. Overall,
there was evidence of moderate tracking of physical activity during early childhood,
and from early childhood to middle childhood, and of moderate-to-large tracking of
sedentary behavior during early childhood and from early childhood to middle childhood.
Conclusions
This review highlights the importance of establishing recommended levels of physical
activity and sedentary behavior during the early years of life. Based on this review,
the following recommendations are made: (1) early childhood should be targeted as
a critical time to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors through methodologically sound
prevention studies; and (2) future tracking studies should assess a broad range of
sedentary behaviors using objective measures.
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© 2013 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
