31st Jan 2024

Introduction: when recommendations of movement behaviours are analysed as an unique composition, the three movement behaviours predict preschoolers’ executive function (EF) more strongly than in isolation. However, until now, it is not well-known how adhering to the different recommendations in isolation (physical activity (PA), sleep, or screen time) or in combination (PA + sleep, PA + screen time, sleep + screen time, or PA + sleep + screen time), are associated with EF in preschoolers. This study identified the most critical variables in an association network between combined compliance with 24-hour movement behaviours recommendations and EF in low-income preschoolers. Methods: eighty-three children (50.6% boys; 53.5 months of age) were assessed for physical activity (PA) screen time, sleep duration, sex, age, and EF. The adherence to the various combinations of movement behaviours was used for the analyses, and network analysis was performed to determine the most critical variables. Results: from the emerging network, it was observed that the variable with the greatest Expected Influence was the combined adherence to PA + sleep recommendations (1.964). Conclusions: the most sensitive network variables were combined adherence to PA and sleep recommendations. These results suggest that future interventions to improve EF in preschoolers should consider promoting these healthy behaviors in their strategies.