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Short sleep duration as a risk factor for childhood overweight/obesity: a large multicentric epidemiologic study in

Jinwen Zhang1, Xingming Jin2, Chonghuai Yan3

  • 1School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China; Xin Hua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China; MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Shanghai, China.

Sleep Health
|October 27, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Shorter sleep duration and inconsistent sleep schedules in Chinese children are linked to increased risk of overweight and obesity. These findings highlight the importance of adequate sleep for maintaining a healthy weight in childhood.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Public Health
  • Sleep Medicine

Background:

  • Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern globally.
  • Understanding modifiable risk factors like sleep is crucial for prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between sleep duration and overweight/obesity in Chinese children.
  • To explore the role of sleep schedule variability in childhood overweight/obesity.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional survey of 17,696 Chinese children aged 7-11 years.
  • Sleep habits assessed using the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire.
  • Overweight and obesity defined using standardized Body Mass Index (BMI) criteria.

Main Results:

  • Prevalence of obesity and overweight was 10.7% and 10.3%, respectively.
  • Shorter sleep duration (<9 hours/day) was significantly associated with increased BMI and higher odds of overweight/obesity.
  • Sleep schedule variability independently correlated with increased odds of overweight/obesity.

Conclusions:

  • Sleep duration and sleep schedule variability are significant factors associated with overweight/obesity in Chinese school children.
  • Other lifestyle factors like screen time and eating habits also play a role.
  • Interventions promoting healthy sleep patterns may help combat childhood obesity.
Abstract

Keywords:
BMIChildrenChinaObesity/overweightSleep durationSleep-schedule variability

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