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Short sleep duration in infancy and risk of childhood overweight

Elsie M Taveras1, Sheryl L Rifas-Shiman, Emily Oken

  • 1Obesity Prevention Program, Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Harvard Medical School, 133 Brookline Ave, Sixth Floor, Boston, MA 02215, USA. elsie_taveras@hphc.org

Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
|April 9, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Infants sleeping less than 12 hours daily had higher risks of being overweight by age 3. This study highlights infant sleep duration as a key factor in early childhood obesity prevention.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Nutritional Epidemiology
  • Sleep Science

Background:

  • Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern.
  • Early life factors, including sleep, are increasingly recognized as potential contributors to overweight and obesity.
  • Understanding the relationship between infant sleep patterns and later weight status is crucial for developing effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between infant sleep duration and the development of overweight in early childhood.
  • To determine if insufficient sleep in infancy predicts higher body mass index (BMI) and increased odds of being overweight at age 3 years.

Main Methods:

  • A longitudinal cohort study involving 915 children (Project Viva).
  • Mothers reported infant sleep duration at 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years, with a weighted average calculated.
  • Multivariate regression analyses were used to assess the impact of sleep duration (<12 hours/day vs. >=12 hours/day) on BMI z-score, skinfold thickness, and overweight status at age 3, adjusting for numerous covariates.

Main Results:

  • The average daily sleep duration for infants was 12.3 hours.
  • Infants sleeping less than 12 hours per day showed a significantly higher BMI z-score (beta=0.16) and sum of skinfold thicknesses (beta=0.79 mm) at age 3.
  • Insufficient infant sleep (<12 hours/day) was associated with doubled odds of being overweight (OR=2.04) by age 3, even after adjusting for multiple confounding factors.

Conclusions:

  • Infant sleep duration of less than 12 hours daily is a significant risk factor for developing overweight and increased adiposity in preschool-aged children.
  • Promoting adequate sleep in infancy may be a viable strategy for preventing early childhood obesity.
  • Further research into the mechanisms linking sleep duration and adiposity is warranted.
Abstract

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