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Investigating the association between sleep parameters and the weight status of children: night sleep duration

Cassandra L Pattinson1, Simon S Smith2, Sally L Staton3

  • 1Institute for Health and Biomedical Innovation, Centre for Children's Health Research, Queensland University of Technology, 62 Graham St, South Brisbane, Australia, 4101; School of Psychology and Counselling, Queensland University of Technology, 62 Graham St, South Brisbane, Australia, 4101; National Institute of Nursing Research, National Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pyke, Bethesda, 20852.

Sleep Health
|March 21, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Short sleep duration is linked to higher body mass index (BMI) in preschool children. This association is particularly strong in boys, highlighting sex-specific relationships between sleep and weight.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Sleep Science
  • Obesity Research

Background:

  • Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern.
  • Sleep plays a crucial role in regulating energy balance and metabolism.
  • Understanding the relationship between sleep patterns and weight status in early childhood is vital.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the associations between various sleep parameters and weight status in preschool-aged children.
  • To determine if sleep duration, napping, and sleep timing predict body mass index (BMI) z scores.
  • To explore potential sex differences in the relationship between sleep and weight.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of cross-sectional survey data from 1111 children aged 3-6 years (E4Kids study).
  • Utilized general linear modeling to assess the impact of night sleep duration, total sleep duration, napping frequency, sleep timing, and sleep problem severity on BMI z scores.
  • Models were adjusted for control variables and conducted for the total sample and separately by sex.

Main Results:

  • A significant association was found between short night sleep duration (≤10 hours) and increased BMI z scores in the total sample.
  • No other sleep parameters were significantly associated with BMI z scores in the overall sample.
  • Sex-specific analyses revealed that short night sleep duration and napping frequency were significantly associated with weight status in boys, but not in girls.

Conclusions:

  • Night sleep duration is an independent predictor of body mass in young children.
  • The relationship between sleep and body mass is complex and appears to be sex-dependent.
  • Further research is needed to investigate the potential mechanisms underlying these observed sex differences.
Abstract

Keywords:
AustraliaBody mass indexPreschool childrenSexSleep

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