24-Hour movement behaviour and quality of life among Chinese caregivers of children with intellectual disabilities: a compositional analysis

Objective To examine association between 24-h movement behaviour and quality of life (QoL) among caregivers of children with intellectual disabilities and to estimate QoL differences under hypothetical time reallocations. Methods This cross-sectional study included 225 caregivers in Jinan, China, from October 2025 to January 2026 (mean age, 39.40 ± 8.66 years; 81.78% female). Movement behaviours were measured using ActiGraph accelerometers, and QoL was assessed using the World Health Organization Quality of Life-Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF). Compositional analysis was used to describe movement behaviour, estimate associations using pivot isometric log-ratio regression, and model 10- and 30-min reallocations among sleep, sedentary behaviour, light physical activity and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Results Caregivers spent 411.03 min/day sleeping, 624.84 min/day sedentary, 357.29 min/day in light physical activity, and 46.84 min/day in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. The overall WHOQOL-BREF score was 49.66. Sedentary behaviour was associated with lower QoL (γ = −7.63; 95% CI , −13.65, −1.60), whereas moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was associated with higher QoL (γ = 8.26; 95% CI , 6.07, 10.46). Reallocating 30 min/day from sedentary behaviour to moderate-to-vigorous physical activity predicted a 3.87-point higher score. Conclusions Caregivers' 24-h movement behaviour was associated with QoL. These findings support further investigation of strategies to reduce avoidable sedentary time and facilitate physical activity.