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Longer sleep duration during infancy and toddlerhood predicts weight normalization among high birth weight infants

Amy R Goetz1, Dean W Beebe1,2, James L Peugh1,2

  • 1Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH.

Sleep
|November 10, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Longer sleep duration in infancy and toddlerhood is linked to normal BMI in children born with high birth weight (HBW). Adequate sleep may prevent high birth weight children from becoming overweight later in life.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Sleep Science
  • Obesity Research

Background:

  • High birth weight (HBW) is a significant risk factor for developing overweight conditions later in childhood.
  • Understanding interventions to mitigate this risk is crucial for public health.
  • Limited research exists on how early life sleep patterns influence the trajectory from high birth weight to later overweight status.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between sleep practices in infancy and toddlerhood and subsequent BMI in children born with high birth weight (HBW) versus normal birth weight (NBW).
  • To compare sleep duration and quality between children who were born HBW or NBW and maintained a normal BMI, and those who became overweight by preschool age.

Main Methods:

  • Latent growth curve modeling analyzed sleep data (total duration, maintenance, restlessness) from 270 mother-child dyads between 6 and 24 months.
  • Children were categorized based on birth weight (HBW or NBW) and preschool BMI (normal or overweight).
  • Sleep patterns were compared across groups: HBW with normal BMI (HBW-Normal), NBW with normal BMI (NBW-Normal), and overweight preschoolers (Overweight).

Main Results:

  • Children in the HBW-Normal group consistently exhibited the longest mean 24-hour sleep duration compared to the Overweight group.
  • The Overweight group had the shortest sleep duration across all measured time points.
  • Significant differences in sleep duration were observed between HBW-Normal and Overweight groups from 6 months onward, while NBW-Normal showed no significant differences.

Conclusions:

  • Extended sleep duration during infancy and toddlerhood is associated with the development of a normal BMI in children born with high birth weight.
  • Increased sleep duration in early life may serve as a protective factor, potentially preventing high birth weight children from becoming overweight.
  • These findings highlight the importance of promoting adequate sleep in early childhood for long-term weight management in at-risk populations.
Abstract

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