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Introduction
Physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep, which are collectively referred to as 24-hour movement behaviors, are critical for physical and mental health across the lifespan [1, 2, 3, 4, 5–6]. These behaviors are unique, due to their mutually exclusive properties and reciprocal relationships across the 24-hour day. Their mutually exclusive properties refer to engaging in one behavior at a time, whereas their reciprocal relationship is shown in engaging in one behavior may influence amounts of other behaviors. An example of this reciprocal association is engaging in more physical activity during the day may result in additional overnight sleep [7]. Recognizing these interrelated and distinct properties, multi-behavior guidance for children’s physical activity, recreational (children and adolescents) or sedentary (young children) screen-time, and sleep, and subsequent guidelines were created from a Canadian group in 2016 [8, 9–10]. These integrative guidelines mirror individual behavior guidance but propose a focus on achieving healthy amounts of all three behaviors across the course of a whole day. The early years (ages 0–5 years), child, and adolescent guidelines have since been adopted by multiple high-income countries [11, 12], low- and middle-income countries [13], and most recently, adult and older adult public health guidance has been established [14]. Since the creation of these guidelines, frameworks to advance 24-hour movement research have emerged, which has been accompanied by the application of several analytic approaches to examine associations with health beyond threshold-based guideline adherence [15]. The Viable Integrative Research in Time-Use Epidemiology (VIRTUE) Framework proposes a path forward to advance research in field of time-use epidemiology through adequately accounting for the compositional nature of 24-hour movement behaviors when investigating methods, association with outcomes, optimal time balance and prevalence, correlates of time-use, and eventual design of effective interventions [15]. As noted by others, a consensus on 24-hour-related terminology does not exist; the 24-hour movement behaviors may also be referred to as the 24-hour activity cycle, time-use behaviors, time-use activity behaviors, and physical behaviors [16]. This heterogeneity in terms and application may make gathering and comparing scientific investigations difficult, hence impeding ability to quantify the collective contribution of 24-hour movement behaviors to health outcomes and advance to eventual time-use interventions [15].
Since the release of the initial 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth, 24- hour...