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Short sleep duration and body mass index: a prospective longitudinal study in preadolescence

Valérie Seegers1, Dominique Petit, Bruno Falissard

  • 1INSERM U669, Universite´ Paris-Sud and Universite´ Paris Descartes, Paris, France.

American Journal of Epidemiology
|February 10, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Short sleep duration in preadolescent children is linked to higher risks of becoming overweight or obese. Insufficient sleep, particularly less than 11 hours nightly, significantly increases the odds of developing obesity.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Obesity Research

Background:

  • Short sleep duration is a growing concern in preadolescent children.
  • Childhood obesity rates have been increasing globally.
  • Understanding the relationship between sleep and weight is crucial for public health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between sleep duration and body mass index (BMI) trajectories in preadolescent children.
  • To determine if short sleep duration predicts overweight or obesity in later childhood.
  • To analyze longitudinal data on sleep patterns and BMI in a Canadian cohort.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective cohort study of 1,916 preadolescent children from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Kindergarten Children.
  • Regression analyses and semiparametric model mixture were used to compute time-in-bed and BMI trajectories.
  • Adjustments were made for confounding factors including pubertal status.

Main Results:

  • Three distinct sleep-duration trajectories were identified: short (15%), 10.5-hour (68%), and 11-hour (17%).
  • Three BMI trajectories were observed: normal weight (68%), overweight (27%), and obese (5%).
  • The short sleep trajectory showed significantly increased odds of being overweight (OR=1.55) or obese (OR=3.26) compared to the 11-hour trajectory. One hour less sleep at age 10 increased odds of being overweight (OR=1.51) or obese (OR=2.07) at age 13.

Conclusions:

  • Short sleep duration in preadolescence is a significant risk factor for developing overweight and obesity.
  • Longitudinal tracking of sleep and BMI reveals a clear association between insufficient sleep and adverse weight outcomes.
  • Public health initiatives should consider sleep duration as a modifiable factor in preventing childhood obesity.

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