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Chronic sleep curtailment and adiposity
Elsie M Taveras1, Matthew W Gillman2, Michelle-Marie Peña3
1Division of General Academic Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, Boston, Massachussetts;Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachussetts; and etaveras@partners.org.
Insights
Chronic sleep curtailment from infancy to school age is linked to increased childhood adiposity. Reduced sleep duration in early life is associated with higher body mass and central fat accumulation by mid-childhood.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Sleep Science
- Obesity Research
Background:
- Adequate sleep is crucial for child development.
- Chronic sleep curtailment may impact metabolic health.
- Understanding early life sleep patterns' long-term effects is important.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between chronic sleep curtailment from infancy to mid-childhood and adiposity.
- To determine if reduced sleep duration in early life relates to total and central body fat in children.
Main Methods:
- Prospective cohort study of 1046 children.
- Sleep duration reported by mothers from 6 months to 7 years.
- Adiposity measured by BMI z-score, fat mass index, and waist/hip circumference.
Main Results:
- Children with the most sleep curtailment (score 0-4) had higher BMI z-scores (0.48 U increase).
- Similar associations were found for total and trunk fat mass index and waist/hip circumferences.
- Higher odds of obesity were observed in children with significant sleep curtailment.
Conclusions:
- Chronic sleep curtailment during infancy and childhood is associated with increased overall adiposity.
- Reduced sleep duration in early life is linked to greater central adiposity in mid-childhood.
Objectives:
To examine the extent to which chronic sleep curtailment from infancy to mid-childhood is associated with total and central adiposity.
Methods:
We studied 1046 children participating in a prospective cohort study. At age 6 months and yearly from age 1 to 7 years, mothers reported their children's sleep duration in a usual 24-hour period. The main exposure was a sleep curtailment score from age 6 months to 7 years. The range of the total score was 0 to 13, where 0 indicated the maximal sleep curtailment and 13 indicated never having curtailed sleep. Outcomes in mid-childhood were BMI z score, dual X-ray absorptiometry total and trunk fat mass index (kg/m(2)), and waist and hip circumferences (cm).
Results:
The mean (SD) sleep score was 10.2 (2.7); 4.4% scored a 0 to 4, indicating multiple exposures to sleep curtailment between age 6 months to 7 years, 12.3% scored 5 to 7, 14.1% scored 8 to 9, 28.8% scored 10 to 11, and 40.3% scored 12 to 13. In multivariable models, children who had a sleep score of 0 to 4 had a BMI z score that was 0.48 U (95% confidence interval, 0.13 to 0.83) higher than those who had a sleep score of 12 to 13. We observed similar associations of higher total and trunk fat mass index and waist and hip circumferences, and higher odds of obesity (odds ratio, 2.62; 95% confidence interval, 0.99 to 6.97) among children who had a score of 0 to 4 vs 12 to 13.
Conclusions:
Chronic sleep curtailment from infancy to school age was associated with higher overall and central adiposity in mid-childhood.