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Developing International Consensus on Key Indicators for a 24-Hour Movement Behaviour Report Card in Early Childhood: A Twin-Panel Delphi Study

Wendy Y. Huang, Danqing Zhang, Mark S. Tremblay, Martin C. S. Wong, Cindy H. P. Sit, Sam W. S. Wong, Derwin K. C. Chan, Stephen H. S. Wong, Eivind Aadland, Nicolas Aguilar-Farias, Devan Antczak, Liane Azevedo, Farid Bardid, Catherine M. Capio, Angela Carlin, Valerie Carson, Zhenya Chang, Michael Yong Hwa Chia, Silvia Costa, Yolanda DemetriouMarsha Dowda, Catherine E. Draper, Susan Edwards, Vladimir Essau Martínez-Bello, Hongyan Guan, Asmaa E. L. Hamdouchi, Sandra Hansmann, Elisabeth Straume Haugland, Jaroslaw Herbert, Marianella Herrera, Kylie Hesketh, Stephen Hunter, Justin Jeon, Fan Jiang, Jaak Jürimäe, Sebastian Kerzel, Hyunshik Kim, Susi Kriemler, Nicholas Kuzik, Eun-Young Lee, Cong Liu, Yang Liu, Marie Löf, Himangi Lubree, Marlene Rosager Lund Pedersen, Daga Makaza, Taru Manyanga, Clarice Martins, Shawnda A. Morrison, Jorge Mota, Rowena Naidoo, Nelson Nardo Junior, Paulina Nowicka, Christine Delisle Nyström, Timothy Olds, Line Grønholt Olesen, Vincent O. Onywera, Sabine Plancoulaine, Bee Koon Poh, Alessandra Prioreschi, John J. Reilly, Blanca Roman-Viñas, Rute Santos, Diego Augusto Santos Silva, Olga Lucia Sarmiento, John Scriven, Mohd Razif Shahril, Ann-Christin Sollerhed, Martyn Standage, Gareth Stratton, Tim Takken, Chiaki Tanaka, Brian W. Timmons, Simone Tomaz, Grant R. Tomkinson, Patricia Tucker, Leigh M. Vanderloo, Guanghai Wang, Sunyue Ye, Long Yin

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Background: The World Health Organization has established recommendations for 24-h movement behaviours in children under 5 years. Building on the successful knowledge translation model of Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance Report Cards, this study aimed to develop a similar framework for the early years.

Methods: Using a three-round twin-panel Delphi survey (conducted via an online survey between 28 November 2024 and 11 March 2025), expert consensus was sought on indicators and benchmarks for the first dedicated report card on 24-h movement behaviours for the early years. The experts were identified through a three-step selection process, which included recognised international projects and networks as well as literature search. In Round 1, participants evaluated the applicability of 15 initial indicators. In Rounds 2 and 3, they rated the importance of each indicator, with results from their own panel (Round 2) and the other panel (Round 3) provided to inform their decisions. Qualitative feedback on definitions and benchmarks was systematically reviewed and incorporated. Consensus was predefined as ≥ 75% agreement, with stability across rounds considered.

Results: Of 175 invited experts, 72 (41.1% recruitment rate) from 15 regions participated in Round 1, with 61 (84.7% response rate) and 56 (77.8% response rate) completing Rounds 2 and 3, respectively. Consensus was achieved for 12 indicators, with definitions and benchmarks refined based on expert inputs. Notably, Weight Status and Motor Proficiency were excluded due to lower agreement.

Conclusions: The finalised set of indicators, definitions, and benchmarks provides a robust foundation for creating a standardised report card for early childhood. The finalised results serve as a critical advocacy instrument to raise awareness, improve surveillance, facilitate cross-jurisdictional comparisons, and inform policy and public health initiatives, ultimately supporting the health and well-being of young children globally.
Original languageEnglish
Article number92
JournalSports Medicine - Open
Volume11
Issue number1
Early online date7 Aug 2025
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 7 Aug 2025

Data Availability Statement

The anonymised dataset from the three-round survey is available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all the experts (a full list of experts shown in the Additional File 1) for their participation and for the insightful feedback they provided. We are also thankful to the two scholars (Dr Jie Feng and Mr Sitong Chen) who helped in the piloting survey.

Eivind Aadland (Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norway), Nicolas Aguilar-Farias (Universidad de La Frontera, Chile), Devan Antczak (University of Wollongong, Australia), Liane Azevedo (Sheffield Hallam University, United Kingdom), Farid Bardid (University of Strathclyde, Scotland), Catherine M. Capio (Hong Kong Metropolitan University, China), Angela Carlin (Ulster University, Northern Ireland), Valerie Carson (University of Alberta, Canada), Zhenya Chang (Changsha Normal University, China), Michael Yong Hwa Chia (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore), Silvia Costa (Loughborough University, United Kingdom), Yolanda Demetriou (University of Tübingen, Germany), Marsha Dowda (University of South Carolina, United States), Catherine E Draper (University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa), Susan Edwards (Australian Catholic University, Australia), Vladimir Essau Martínez-Bello (University of Valencia, Spain), Hongyan Guan (Capital Institute of Pediatrics, China), Asmaa E.L. Hamdouchi (CNESTEN, Morocco), Sandra Hansmann (Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Germany), Elisabeth Straume Haugland (Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norway), Jaroslaw Herbert (Rzeszów University, Poland), Marianella Herrera (Framingham State University, United States), Kylie Hesketh (Deakin University, Australia), Stephen Hunter (University of Alberta, Canada), Justin Jeon (Yonsei University, Korea), Fan Jiang (Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China), Jaak Jürimäe (University of Tartu, Estonia), Sebastian Kerzel (Universität Regensburg, Germany), Hyunshik Kim (Sendai University, Japan), Susi Kriemler (University of Zurich, Switzerland), Nicholas Kuzik (Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Canada), Eun-Young Lee (Queen’s University, Canada; Yonsei University, South Korea), Cong Liu (The University of Hong Kong, China), Yang Liu (Shanghai University of Sport, China), Marie Löf (Karolinska Institute, Sweden), Himangi Lubree (KEM Hospital Research Centre, India), Marlene Rosager Lund Pedersen (University of Southern Denmark, Denmark), Daga Makaza (National University of Science and Technology, Zimbabwe), Taru Manyanga (University of Northern British Columbia, Canada), Clarice Martins (University of Porto, Portugal), Shawnda A. Morrison (University of Ljubljana, Slovenia), Jorge Mota (University of Porto, Portugal), Rowena Naidoo (University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa), Nelson Nardo Junior (State University of Maringa, Brazil), Paulina Nowicka (Uppsala University, Sweden), Christine Delisle Nyström (Karolinska Institute, Sweden), Timothy Olds (University of South Australia, Australia), Line Grønholt Olesen (Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus, Denmark), Vincent O. Onywera (KCA University, Kenya), Sabine Plancoulaine (French Institute of Health and Medical Research, France), Bee Koon Poh (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia), Alessandra Prioreschi (University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa), John J. Reilly (University of Strathclyde, Scotland), Blanca Roman-Viñas (Ramon Llull University, Spain), Rute Santos (University of Minho, Portugal), Diego Augusto Santos Silva (Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil), Olga Lucia Sarmiento (Universidad de los Andes, Colombia), John Scriven (Move Well, Jersey), Mohd Razif Shahril (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia), Ann-Christin Sollerhed (Kristianstad University, Sweden), Martyn Standage (University of Bath, United Kingdom), Gareth Stratton (Swansea University, United Kingdom), Tim Takken (University Medical Center Utrecht, Netherlands), Chiaki Tanaka (Tokyo Kasei Gakuin University, Japan), Brian W. Timmons (McMaster University, Canada), Simone Tomaz (University of Stirling, United Kingdom), Grant R. Tomkinson (University of South Australia, Australia), Patricia Tucker (Western University, Canada), Leigh M. Vanderloo (ParticipACTION, Canada), Guanghai Wang (Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China), Sunyue Ye (Jiaxing University, China), Long Yin (Hengyang Normal University, China; Hunan Normal University, China).

Funding

WYH was supported by the Research Grants Council Research Fellow Scheme (RFS) from the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (# RFS2324-2H01).

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

  1. SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
    SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

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