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Children
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Lifestyle and Children's Health Development
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Lifestyle and Children's Health Development

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Pediatric Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2026 | Viewed by 6872

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Guillermo Garcia-Perez-De-Sevilla

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Madrid, Spain
Interests: nutrition; lifestyle; children’s health; children’s development; interventions to promote a healthy lifestyle
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Augusto García Zapico

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
ImFINE Research Group, Department of Health and Human Performance, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28223 Madrid, Spain
Interests: health trought physical activity; promotion of healthy habits; evaluation of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The intersection between lifestyle and the development of children's health is a vital area of study that has evolved significantly. The understanding of childhood and its role in health has transitioned towards a comprehensive focus on holistic well-being. This Special Issue aims to delve into the diverse aspects of lifestyle that influence children's health, including diet, physical activity, sleep, sedentary behavior, and mental health. By examining innovative research and interventions, we strive to provide a thorough understanding of how lifestyle choices affect children's long-term health outcomes. We welcome original research, reviews, and short communications that offer fresh insights and practical applications for enhancing children's health via lifestyle modifications.

Dr. Guillermo Garcia-Perez-De-Sevilla
Dr. Augusto García Zapico
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • healthy lifestyles
  • physical activity
  • obesity
  • children
  • adolescents

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 737 KB  
Article
Assessment of Physical Fitness in Children and Adolescents with Simple Obesity
by Jacek Podogrodzki, Mieczysław Szalecki, Anna Wrona and Aldona Wierzbicka-Rucińska
Children 2025, 12(10), 1388; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12101388 - 15 Oct 2025
Viewed by 342
Abstract
Objectives: The systematic increase in the number of overweight and obese people in recent years has led to the recognition of this condition as a chronic, non-infectious disease of civilization, declared a global epidemic by WHO in 1997. This phenomenon is particularly dangerous [...] Read more.
Objectives: The systematic increase in the number of overweight and obese people in recent years has led to the recognition of this condition as a chronic, non-infectious disease of civilization, declared a global epidemic by WHO in 1997. This phenomenon is particularly dangerous in children, because it negatively affects their later existence in the health, mental and social spheres. This phenomenon is particularly concerning in the pediatric population, as it may have long-term adverse effects on physical health, psychological well-being, and social functioning. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess anthropometric parameters and physical fitness using the EUROFIT test in children and adolescents diagnosed with obesity. Materials and Methods: The study group consisted of 123 pediatric patients attending the Endocrinology and Diabetology Clinic and Pediatric Rehabilitation IP-CZD aged 8–16 (64 boys—52% and 59 girls—48%) with diagnosed simple obesity. Obesity was diagnosed according to the CDC standard using percentile charts from the OLAF study. Physical fitness was assessed using the EUROFIT test using 8 samples, and body mass composition was examined using the bioimpedance method with the BC 418 Tanita analyzer. Results: The results of our own research obtained in this study were compared to population standards. The total results of the EUROFIT test in the study group were statistically significantly lower than the norm. The results of the balance, upper limb movement speed, jumping, trunk strength, functional strength and agility tests were lower than the norm, the flexibility result was within the norm, and only hand strength was higher than the norm. In 4 out of 8 fitness tests, girls achieved significantly better results than boys. Conclusions: Reduced physical fitness is characteristic of children and adolescents with simple obesity. Worse physical fitness shows significant correlations with the results of anthropometric measurements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lifestyle and Children's Health Development)
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13 pages, 261 KB  
Article
Age Differences in the Relationship Between Outdoor Physical Activity and School Emotional Well-Being in Pre-Adolescents: A Stratified Correlation Analysis
by Josivaldo de Souza-Lima, Gerson Ferrari, Rodrigo Yáñez-Sepúlveda, Frano Giakoni-Ramírez, Catalina Muñoz-Strale, Javiera Alarcon-Aguilar, Maribel Parra-Saldias, Daniel Duclos-Bastias, Andrés Godoy-Cumillaf, Eugenio Merellano-Navarro, José Bruneau-Chávez and Pedro Valdivia-Moral
Children 2025, 12(10), 1339; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12101339 - 5 Oct 2025
Viewed by 514
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Subjective well-being (SWB) in pre-adolescents declines with age due to rising school-related stress and boredom. Outdoor physical activity (PA) may mitigate these effects, yet age-specific associations remain understudied. This study investigated age differences in relationships between outdoor PA and school emotional well-being [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Subjective well-being (SWB) in pre-adolescents declines with age due to rising school-related stress and boredom. Outdoor physical activity (PA) may mitigate these effects, yet age-specific associations remain understudied. This study investigated age differences in relationships between outdoor PA and school emotional well-being (stress and arguments) using multinational data. Methods: Cross-sectional secondary analysis of the International Survey of Children’s Well-Being (ISCWeB) third wave (2017–2019) involved 128,184 pre-adolescents (mean age 10.24 years, SD 1.70; 49.56% boys) from 35 countries, stratified by age (8, 10, 12 years). Outdoor PA was assessed on a 0–6 frequency scale; stress and arguments on 0–10 scales, with 8-year-olds’ responses harmonized from 5-point emoticons. Descriptive statistics and stratified Spearman correlations were calculated (p < 0.05). Results: Outdoor PA peaked at age 10 (mean 3.17, SD 1.62), while stress varied with age (mean 3.99, SD 0.50 at 8 years; 4.20, SD 2.50 at 12 years). Very small associations emerged: Weak negative stress correlations (r = −0.02 to −0.07, p ≤ 0.045; r2 < 0.005) across ages, alongside positive argument associations (r = 0.03–0.08, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Outdoor PA modestly associates with lower stress in older pre-adolescents but may be associated with elevated peer conflicts. This dual effect adds nuance to interventions, highlighting supervision needs. Age-tailored, supervised school interventions could optimize emotional benefits during late pre-adolescence. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lifestyle and Children's Health Development)
11 pages, 1225 KB  
Article
Prediction of Children’s Subjective Well-Being from Physical Activity and Sports Participation Using Machine Learning Techniques: Evidence from a Multinational Study
by Josivaldo de Souza-Lima, Gerson Ferrari, Rodrigo Yáñez-Sepúlveda, Frano Giakoni-Ramírez, Catalina Muñoz-Strale, Javiera Alarcon-Aguilar, Maribel Parra-Saldias, Daniel Duclos-Bastias, Andrés Godoy-Cumillaf, Eugenio Merellano-Navarro, José Bruneau-Chávez and Pedro Valdivia-Moral
Children 2025, 12(8), 1083; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12081083 - 18 Aug 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 799
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Traditional models like ordinary least squares (OLS) struggle to capture non-linear relationships in children’s subjective well-being (SWB), which is associated with physical activity. This study evaluated machine learning (ML) for predicting SWB, focusing on sports participation, and explored theoretical prediction limits [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Traditional models like ordinary least squares (OLS) struggle to capture non-linear relationships in children’s subjective well-being (SWB), which is associated with physical activity. This study evaluated machine learning (ML) for predicting SWB, focusing on sports participation, and explored theoretical prediction limits using a global dataset. It addresses a gap in understanding complex patterns across diverse cultural contexts. Methods: We analyzed 128,184 records from the ISCWeB survey (ages 6–14, 35 countries), with self-reported data on sports frequency, emotional states, and family support. To ensure cross-country generalizability, we used GroupKFold CV (grouped by country) and leave-one-country-out (LOCO) validation, yielding mean R2 = 0.45 ± 0.05, confirming robustness beyond cultural patterns, SHAP for interpretability, and bootstrapping for error estimation. No pre-registration was required for this secondary analysis. Results: XGBoost and LightGBM outperformed OLS, achieving R2 up to 0.504 in restricted datasets (sensitivity excluding affective leakage: R2 = 0.35), with sports-related variables (e.g., exercise frequency) associated positively with SWB predictions (SHAP values: +0.15–0.25; incremental ΔR2 = 0.06 over demographics/family/school base). Using test–retest reliability from literature (r = 0.74), the estimated irreducible RMSE reached 0.941; XGBoost achieved RMSE = 1.323, approaching the predictability bound with 68.1% of explainable variance captured (after noise adjustment). Partial dependence plots showed linear associations with exercise without satiation and slight age decline. Conclusions: ML improves SWB prediction in children, highlighting associations with sports participation, and approaches predictable variance bounds. These findings suggest potential for data-driven tools to identify patterns, such as through physical literacy pathways, informing physical activity interventions. However, longitudinal studies are needed to explore causality and address cultural biases in self-reports. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lifestyle and Children's Health Development)
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14 pages, 286 KB  
Article
The Parental Blueprint: Early Childhood Lifestyle Habits and Family Factors Predict Opting for Middle Childhood Sport Involvement
by Stéfanie Routhier-Guilmette, Kianoush Harandian, Sophie-Anne Turcotte, Nairy Kazandjian, Matteo Privitera and Linda S. Pagani
Children 2025, 12(6), 732; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12060732 - 3 Jun 2025
Viewed by 1204
Abstract
Background/objectives: Early childhood is marked by rapid physical and cognitive development, underscoring the critical influence of parental choices in shaping habits, pastimes, and traditions. The World Health Organization highlights habits of physical activity, sleep, and screen use as modulators of healthy development and [...] Read more.
Background/objectives: Early childhood is marked by rapid physical and cognitive development, underscoring the critical influence of parental choices in shaping habits, pastimes, and traditions. The World Health Organization highlights habits of physical activity, sleep, and screen use as modulators of healthy development and well-being in young children. As a first, this birth cohort study investigates the relationship between movement behaviors in toddlerhood and subsequent sport participation during middle childhood. Methods: Participants are 930 boys and 926 girls from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development. Using a population-based analytical approach, we examined the relationship between parent-reported active leisure, sleep, and sedentary screen time at age 2 years and trajectory of sport participation between ages 6 and 10 years using sex-stratified linear regressions that account for a range of pre-existing individual and family confounding factors. Results: Many child and family characteristics predicted early childhood movement behaviors, distinctly for boys and girls. Moreover, parental regulation of screen time during early childhood significantly influenced their decisions to enroll and encourage sport participation in sons during school age. Specifically, boys who spent more than 1 h/day on screens had 10% fewer chances of consistently participating in sport throughout middle childhood, even after accounting for adherence to other lifestyle habits. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that parental values regarding early childhood screen exposure are an effective potential target for intervention fostering healthy and active development. Future research should focus on parent and child motivations for sport involvement in the long-term. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lifestyle and Children's Health Development)
16 pages, 2778 KB  
Article
Handgrip Strength in Children and Adolescents Aged 3 to 16 Years and Residing in Spain: New Reference Values
by F. Zárate-Osuna, A. G. Zapico and M. González-Gross
Children 2025, 12(4), 471; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12040471 - 6 Apr 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3263
Abstract
Introduction: Handgrip strength, measured by dynamometry (HGD), is a key measure in assessing physical condition and nutritional status. Its correlation with anthropometric measures and body composition makes it an accessible method for the evaluation of cardiovascular health. This study aimed to develop a [...] Read more.
Introduction: Handgrip strength, measured by dynamometry (HGD), is a key measure in assessing physical condition and nutritional status. Its correlation with anthropometric measures and body composition makes it an accessible method for the evaluation of cardiovascular health. This study aimed to develop a new reference for right-hand dynamometry in the Spanish population and compare it with previous references. Material and Methods: A total of 3281 subjects aged 3 to 16 years (1608 females) from the PESCA, PASOS, and ASOMAD projects were included. Handgrip strength was measured using the same methodology in all cases. Data on age, weight, height, and BMI were collected, and the handgrip strength per kilogram of body weight was calculated. Sexual dimorphism in the temporal development of strength was analyzed, and multiple correlations were established between dynamometry and anthropometric variables. Results: Percentile curves and tables for dynamometry are presented for each sex, including data from as early as 3 years old, for the first time. Conclusions: Sexual dimorphism in strength development is confirmed, becoming more pronounced with puberty. In absolute terms, our study shows a decrease in handgrip strength among adolescents, occurring earlier and more markedly in females. When compared to the previous literature, the 16-year-old male adolescents in our study exhibited lower strength than those from 40 and 16 years ago. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lifestyle and Children's Health Development)
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