As young children grow and develop, they need to work towards high levels of physical activity, low levels of sedentary behaviour and sufficient sleep each day to be healthy—they need to move, sleep and sit the right amounts.

Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years: An Integration of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, and Sleep

Through 2015-2017 the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP), in partnership with the Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group, the Public Health Agency of Canada, ParticipACTION and a consensus panel of Canadian and international experts, developed the world’s first “24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years: An Integration of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, and Sleep”. These new guidelines emphasize the integration of all movement behaviours that occur over a whole day (i.e., light, moderate, and vigorous physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep) for healthy child development. They shift the paradigm away from considering each behaviour in isolation. This integration highlights the positive interactive and potentially synergistic effects that can occur when behaviours are viewed in a more holistic way. The new paradigm presents an opportunity to use the new guidelines in more innovative ways, to reinvigorate the conversation about active living, and to open new avenues for intervention. For example, a practitioner may begin efforts to promote physical activity by first providing strategies for caregivers to encourage a child to get optimal sleep duration and quality. This session will explain and describe the new guidelines, including the background research completed, the process followed, the consultations made, the final outcome (guidelines), future dissemination and activation plans, and implications for the early years sector moving forward.