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Updated: Jan 30, 2026
Control of Eating Behavior Using a Novel Feedback System
Published on: May 8, 2018
Sleep duration and quality are associated with eating behavior in low-income toddlers
Alison L Miller1, Sara E Miller2, Monique K LeBourgeois3
1Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, United States; Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, United States.
Insights
Poor sleep quality and shorter sleep duration in toddlers are linked to increased emotional overeating and eating in the absence of hunger, potentially increasing childhood obesity risk. These sleep factors may be key targets for interventions in low-income families.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Sleep Health
- Childhood Obesity Research
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern.
- Eating behaviors in early childhood can predict later obesity risk.
- Sleep health is increasingly recognized as a crucial factor in child development and well-being.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between sleep health parameters (duration, timing, quality) and obesity-related eating behaviors in toddlers.
- To explore how different aspects of sleep influence specific eating behaviors such as emotional overeating and eating in the absence of hunger.
- To identify potential targets for interventions aimed at mitigating obesity risk in young children.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 134 low-income toddlers (33 months old).
- Parental reports on child sleep quality (Children's Sleep Wake Scale) and sleep timing (bedtimes, wake times).
- Assessment of child eating behaviors including emotional overeating, food responsiveness, enjoyment of food, satiety responsiveness, and eating in the absence of hunger (EAH) using parent reports and direct observation of food consumption.
Main Results:
- Poorer sleep quality was associated with increased emotional overeating and food responsiveness.
- Shorter nighttime sleep duration was linked to a greater amount of eating in the absence of hunger (EAH).
- No significant associations were found between sleep parameters and enjoyment of food or satiety responsiveness, nor between bedtime delay and any eating behaviors.
Conclusions:
- Shorter sleep duration and poorer sleep quality in toddlers are associated with specific obesity-related eating behaviors.
- These findings suggest that sleep health may influence childhood obesity risk through distinct behavioral pathways.
- Improving sleep duration and quality could be a valuable intervention strategy for low-income families to address childhood obesity risk.
Objective:
The present study examined whether different sleep health parameters (duration, timing, and quality) are associated with obesity-related eating behaviors including emotional overeating, food responsiveness, enjoyment of food, satiety responsiveness, and eating in the absence of hunger (EAH), during toddlerhood.
Design:
Among 134 low-income 33-month-old children, parents reported on child sleep parameters, including sleep quality (Children's Sleep Wake Scale; CSWS) and usual bedtimes and wake times on weekdays and weekends (weeknight sleep duration, weekday-to-weekend bedtime delay). Child eating behaviors were assessed using both observed and parent-report measures. Child Emotional Overeating, Food Responsiveness, Enjoyment of Food, and Satiety Responsiveness were measured by parent report using the Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire-Toddler. Observed child EAH was evaluated by measuring kilocalories of palatable foods consumed following a meal. Multivariable linear regression was used to examine the associations between sleep parameters and eating behaviors.
Results:
Poorer child sleep quality was associated with greater Emotional Overeating (standardized β = -0.20 (SE 0.09), p < .05) and greater Food Responsiveness (β = -0.18 (SE 0.09), p < .05). Shorter child nighttime sleep duration was associated with greater EAH kcal consumed (standardized β = -0.22 (SE 0.09), p < .05). Child bedtime delay was not associated with any of the eating behaviors, and no child sleep variables were associated with either Enjoyment of Food or Satiety Responsiveness.
Conclusions:
Shorter nocturnal sleep duration and poorer sleep quality during toddlerhood were associated with some, but not all, of the obesity-related eating behaviors. Poor sleep health may promote childhood obesity risk through different eating behavior pathways. As children growing up in poverty may experience greater sleep decrements, sleep duration and sleep quality may be important targets for intervention among low-income families with young children.
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