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Ethnic differences in sleep duration at 5 years, and its relationship with overweight and blood pressure

Kenneth O Anujuo1, Tanja G M Vrijkotte2, Karien Stronks2

  • 1Department of Public Health, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands k.o.anujuo@amc.uva.nl.

European Journal of Public Health
|July 3, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Children from ethnic minority groups in Amsterdam sleep less than Dutch children. This shorter sleep duration in children was not consistently linked to overweight or high blood pressure (BP).

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Sleep Science
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Adult studies show shorter sleep in ethnic minorities.
  • This study investigates ethnic differences in child sleep duration in Amsterdam.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine ethnic disparities in sleep duration among 5-year-old children.
  • To assess the relationship between sleep duration, overweight, and blood pressure (BP) across ethnic groups.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study of 2384 children and their mothers in Amsterdam.
  • Sleep categorized as short (<10 h/night) or normal (10-11 h/night).
  • Linear regressions and prevalence ratios used to analyze associations.

Main Results:

  • Minority children, particularly Ghanaians and Moroccans, had significantly shorter sleep durations than Dutch children.
  • Short sleep was linked to increased overweight prevalence in Dutch and Moroccan children, but this effect diminished after socioeconomic status adjustment.
  • Short sleep showed no consistent association with systolic or diastolic blood pressure, except in African Surinamese children.

Conclusions:

  • Ethnic minority children in Amsterdam experience shorter sleep durations, mirroring adult patterns.
  • Interventions to address sleep inequalities should target children from a young age.
  • Observed associations between short sleep, overweight, and BP in adults were not consistently replicated in this pediatric cohort.
Abstract

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