The association between learning models and child health behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: This paper aimed to explore the association between school learning models (virtual vs. in-person) and child health behaviours (daily screen time, physical activity, outdoor time, sleep duration, and sleep onset time) during COVID-19, and whether these associations were modified by child&...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Monica Prajapati, Xuedi Li, Kaylyssa Philip, Charles D.G. Keown-Stoneman, Jessica A. Omand, Alice Charach, Katherine T. Cost, Laura M. Kinlin, Leigh M. Vanderloo, Magdalena Janus, Jonathon L. Maguire, Catherine S. Birken
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-06-01
Series:Preventive Medicine Reports
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221133552500110X
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850153526693462016
author Monica Prajapati
Xuedi Li
Kaylyssa Philip
Charles D.G. Keown-Stoneman
Jessica A. Omand
Alice Charach
Katherine T. Cost
Laura M. Kinlin
Leigh M. Vanderloo
Magdalena Janus
Jonathon L. Maguire
Catherine S. Birken
author_facet Monica Prajapati
Xuedi Li
Kaylyssa Philip
Charles D.G. Keown-Stoneman
Jessica A. Omand
Alice Charach
Katherine T. Cost
Laura M. Kinlin
Leigh M. Vanderloo
Magdalena Janus
Jonathon L. Maguire
Catherine S. Birken
author_sort Monica Prajapati
collection DOAJ
description Objective: This paper aimed to explore the association between school learning models (virtual vs. in-person) and child health behaviours (daily screen time, physical activity, outdoor time, sleep duration, and sleep onset time) during COVID-19, and whether these associations were modified by child's age, sex, and family income. Methods: A longitudinal cohort study was conducted among children four to 13 years from the TARGet Kids! COVID-19 Study of Children and Families between November 2020 and July 2022. TARGet Kids! is a primary care research network in Ontario, Canada. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, child school learning models and health behaviours were collected from repeated parent-reported questionnaires. Linear mixed effects models were fit adjusting for confounders identified a priori. Results: A total of 367 children [51 % male; 7.3 (± 2.2) years] with 779 observations on school learning model were included. Compared to in-person learning, virtual learning was associated with higher daily screen time (0.22 h; 95 % CI 0.03, 0.40), higher outdoor time (0.71 h; 95 % CI 0.56, 0.86), higher physical activity (0.64 h; 95 % CI 0.44, 0.85), and a later sleep onset time (0.22 h; 95 % CI 0.15, 0.28). Older children had higher daily outdoor time, girls had a later sleep onset time and children with a family income greater than $150,000 reported higher daily physical activity. Conclusions: Virtual learning was associated with higher daily screen time, outdoor time and physical activity, and later sleep onset time during the pandemic.
format Article
id doaj-art-d0dd9c9a345e4d20b7d4c8af95a7fbfe
institution OA Journals
issn 2211-3355
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Preventive Medicine Reports
spelling doaj-art-d0dd9c9a345e4d20b7d4c8af95a7fbfe2025-08-20T02:25:41ZengElsevierPreventive Medicine Reports2211-33552025-06-015410307110.1016/j.pmedr.2025.103071The association between learning models and child health behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemicMonica Prajapati0Xuedi Li1Kaylyssa Philip2Charles D.G. Keown-Stoneman3Jessica A. Omand4Alice Charach5Katherine T. Cost6Laura M. Kinlin7Leigh M. Vanderloo8Magdalena Janus9Jonathon L. Maguire10Catherine S. Birken11Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 3M7, CanadaChild Health Evaluative Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1E8, Canada; Corresponding author at: Child Health Evaluative Sciences, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, The Hospital for Sick Children, 686 Bay St, Toronto, Ontario M5G 0A4, Canada.Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, CanadaDalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 3M7, Canada; Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON M5B 1T8, CanadaSchool of Nutrition, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, CanadaDepartment of Psychiatry, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1E8, CanadaDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada; Sickkids Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, CanadaDepartment of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, CanadaChild Health Evaluative Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1E8, Canada; School of Occupational Therapy, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada; Department of Science and Evaluation, ParticipACTION, Toronto, ON M5R 1P6, CanadaOfford Centre for Child Studies, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, CanadaLi Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON M5B 1T8, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON M5B 1W8, CanadaChild Health Evaluative Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1E8, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, CanadaObjective: This paper aimed to explore the association between school learning models (virtual vs. in-person) and child health behaviours (daily screen time, physical activity, outdoor time, sleep duration, and sleep onset time) during COVID-19, and whether these associations were modified by child's age, sex, and family income. Methods: A longitudinal cohort study was conducted among children four to 13 years from the TARGet Kids! COVID-19 Study of Children and Families between November 2020 and July 2022. TARGet Kids! is a primary care research network in Ontario, Canada. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, child school learning models and health behaviours were collected from repeated parent-reported questionnaires. Linear mixed effects models were fit adjusting for confounders identified a priori. Results: A total of 367 children [51 % male; 7.3 (± 2.2) years] with 779 observations on school learning model were included. Compared to in-person learning, virtual learning was associated with higher daily screen time (0.22 h; 95 % CI 0.03, 0.40), higher outdoor time (0.71 h; 95 % CI 0.56, 0.86), higher physical activity (0.64 h; 95 % CI 0.44, 0.85), and a later sleep onset time (0.22 h; 95 % CI 0.15, 0.28). Older children had higher daily outdoor time, girls had a later sleep onset time and children with a family income greater than $150,000 reported higher daily physical activity. Conclusions: Virtual learning was associated with higher daily screen time, outdoor time and physical activity, and later sleep onset time during the pandemic.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221133552500110XCOVID-19Virtual learningSchool learningPhysical activityScreen timeChild health behaviours
spellingShingle Monica Prajapati
Xuedi Li
Kaylyssa Philip
Charles D.G. Keown-Stoneman
Jessica A. Omand
Alice Charach
Katherine T. Cost
Laura M. Kinlin
Leigh M. Vanderloo
Magdalena Janus
Jonathon L. Maguire
Catherine S. Birken
The association between learning models and child health behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic
Preventive Medicine Reports
COVID-19
Virtual learning
School learning
Physical activity
Screen time
Child health behaviours
title The association between learning models and child health behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic
title_full The association between learning models and child health behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic
title_fullStr The association between learning models and child health behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic
title_full_unstemmed The association between learning models and child health behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic
title_short The association between learning models and child health behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic
title_sort association between learning models and child health behaviours during the covid 19 pandemic
topic COVID-19
Virtual learning
School learning
Physical activity
Screen time
Child health behaviours
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221133552500110X
work_keys_str_mv AT monicaprajapati theassociationbetweenlearningmodelsandchildhealthbehavioursduringthecovid19pandemic
AT xuedili theassociationbetweenlearningmodelsandchildhealthbehavioursduringthecovid19pandemic
AT kaylyssaphilip theassociationbetweenlearningmodelsandchildhealthbehavioursduringthecovid19pandemic
AT charlesdgkeownstoneman theassociationbetweenlearningmodelsandchildhealthbehavioursduringthecovid19pandemic
AT jessicaaomand theassociationbetweenlearningmodelsandchildhealthbehavioursduringthecovid19pandemic
AT alicecharach theassociationbetweenlearningmodelsandchildhealthbehavioursduringthecovid19pandemic
AT katherinetcost theassociationbetweenlearningmodelsandchildhealthbehavioursduringthecovid19pandemic
AT lauramkinlin theassociationbetweenlearningmodelsandchildhealthbehavioursduringthecovid19pandemic
AT leighmvanderloo theassociationbetweenlearningmodelsandchildhealthbehavioursduringthecovid19pandemic
AT magdalenajanus theassociationbetweenlearningmodelsandchildhealthbehavioursduringthecovid19pandemic
AT jonathonlmaguire theassociationbetweenlearningmodelsandchildhealthbehavioursduringthecovid19pandemic
AT catherinesbirken theassociationbetweenlearningmodelsandchildhealthbehavioursduringthecovid19pandemic
AT monicaprajapati associationbetweenlearningmodelsandchildhealthbehavioursduringthecovid19pandemic
AT xuedili associationbetweenlearningmodelsandchildhealthbehavioursduringthecovid19pandemic
AT kaylyssaphilip associationbetweenlearningmodelsandchildhealthbehavioursduringthecovid19pandemic
AT charlesdgkeownstoneman associationbetweenlearningmodelsandchildhealthbehavioursduringthecovid19pandemic
AT jessicaaomand associationbetweenlearningmodelsandchildhealthbehavioursduringthecovid19pandemic
AT alicecharach associationbetweenlearningmodelsandchildhealthbehavioursduringthecovid19pandemic
AT katherinetcost associationbetweenlearningmodelsandchildhealthbehavioursduringthecovid19pandemic
AT lauramkinlin associationbetweenlearningmodelsandchildhealthbehavioursduringthecovid19pandemic
AT leighmvanderloo associationbetweenlearningmodelsandchildhealthbehavioursduringthecovid19pandemic
AT magdalenajanus associationbetweenlearningmodelsandchildhealthbehavioursduringthecovid19pandemic
AT jonathonlmaguire associationbetweenlearningmodelsandchildhealthbehavioursduringthecovid19pandemic
AT catherinesbirken associationbetweenlearningmodelsandchildhealthbehavioursduringthecovid19pandemic