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Association Between Sleep Duration and Body Mass Index Among US Low-Income Preschoolers

Lydi-Anne Vézina-Im1, Sheryl O Hughes1, Tom Baranowski1

  • 1Children's Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.

Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.)
|August 30, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Longer sleep duration in preschoolers was linked to lower body mass index z scores (zBMI) when considering child factors. This association disappeared when parental factors were included, suggesting a complex relationship.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Sleep Science
  • Obesity Research

Background:

  • Childhood obesity is a significant public health concern, particularly among low-income populations.
  • Understanding factors influencing body mass index z scores (zBMI) in preschoolers is crucial for early intervention.
  • Sleep duration is a potential modifiable factor affecting child weight status.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between sleep duration and zBMI in low-income preschoolers.
  • To examine whether bedtime or ethnicity moderates the relationship between sleep duration and zBMI.
  • To explore the influence of parental factors on the sleep duration-zBMI association.

Main Methods:

  • Study included 228 African American and Hispanic preschoolers and their parents from Head Start Centers.
  • Data collected via parent-reported sleep habits, television watching, and validated questionnaires for stress and depression.
  • Objective measurements of preschoolers' and parents' height and weight, and digital photography for estimating dinner energy intake.

Main Results:

  • Longer sleep duration was significantly associated with lower zBMI when controlling for child demographics, bedtimes, energy intake, and television watching.
  • This association was no longer significant when parental demographics, BMI, stress, and depression were included in the model.
  • Neither bedtime nor ethnicity moderated the association between preschoolers' sleep duration and zBMI.

Conclusions:

  • The association between longer sleep duration and lower zBMI in low-income preschoolers is influenced by parental characteristics.
  • Further research is needed to identify moderators of the sleep duration-zBMI association in this population.
  • Interventions may need to consider parental factors when addressing sleep and weight in preschoolers.
Abstract

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