How strong is the evidence supporting the WHO guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep in early childhood?
Alessandro BianconiMatteo FioreEnrico ZauliCecilia Acuti MartellucciAnnalisa RossoLaura DallolioMaria Elena FlaccoLamberto ManzoliPublished in: European journal of clinical investigation (2024)
While these findings should not be interpreted as an attempt to disprove the benefits of healthy lifestyle habits in early childhood, neither to minimize the work of the experts in this complex research field, very limited evidence currently supports the adoption of recommended thresholds as behavioural surveillance and public health interventions targets. Therefore, until further data are available, public health interventions should be developed balancing whether to focus on the achievement of specific targets that are still not supported by high-quality evidence or on the general promotion of healthy behaviours.