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The relationship between obesity and sleep timing behavior, television exposure, and dinnertime among elementary

Chandra M K Venkatapoorna1, Priscilla Ayine1, Vaithinathan Selvaraju1

  • 1Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Hospitality Management, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama.

Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine : JCSM : Official Publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine
|January 21, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Late bedtimes and increased screen time are linked to childhood obesity. This study found that children with late bedtimes had higher BMI z-scores, highlighting the importance of sleep timing for maintaining a healthy weight.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Obesity Research
  • Lifestyle Medicine

Background:

  • Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern.
  • Daily lifestyle behaviors are associated with obesity in children.
  • Limited research exists on the link between sleep timing and body mass index (BMI) in elementary school-aged children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between obesity and sleep timing patterns.
  • To examine the association between television exposure time and obesity.
  • To explore the connection between dinnertime and obesity in elementary school children.

Main Methods:

  • 169 children aged 6-10 years from Alabama participated.
  • Questionnaires assessed bedtime, wake-up time, TV exposure, and dinnertime.
  • Participants were grouped by sleep timing: early/early (EE), early/late (EL), late/early (LE), late/late (LL).
  • BMI z-score, TV exposure, and dinnertime were compared across groups.

Main Results:

  • The late bed/late wake-up (LL) group had a significantly higher BMI z-score than the early bed/early wake-up (EE) group.
  • Higher BMI z-scores in the LL group were associated with late bedtime, not necessarily late wake-up time.
  • Obesity was prevalent in 71% of children with late bedtimes (8:48 PM), 75% with >1 hour TV exposure, and 54% with dinner after 7:00 PM.

Conclusions:

  • Late bedtime, increased television exposure, and late dinnertime are associated with childhood obesity.
  • Sleep timing, particularly bedtime, is a significant factor in childhood obesity.
  • These daily behaviors represent potential targets for obesity prevention strategies in children.
Abstract

Keywords:
body mass indexchildhood obesitydinnertimesleep timingtelevision exposure

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