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Sleep duration, physical activity, and caloric intake are related to weight status in Mexican American children: a
S M Martinez1, E Blanco2,3, J M Tschann4
1Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco; 550 16th St., 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA. suzanna.martinez@ucsf.edu.
Insights
Longer sleep duration and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) are linked to lower childhood obesity. Adequate sleep in early childhood also protects against later weight gain, highlighting sleep
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Obesity Research
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Childhood obesity is a significant public health concern, disproportionately affecting minority populations in the U.S.
- Identifying behavioral predictors of childhood obesity is crucial for developing effective interventions.
- Understanding the interplay of sleep, physical activity, and diet is key to addressing this issue.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the longitudinal relationships between sleep duration, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and energy intake (EI) with body mass index z-scores (BMIz) in Mexican American children.
- To identify behavioral targets for the prevention and management of childhood obesity.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal cohort study of 323 Mexican American children (ages 8-10 at baseline) over 2 years.
- Objective measures of sleep duration and MVPA using accelerometers.
- Dietary intake assessed via 24-hour recalls to estimate average energy intake (EI).
- Cross-lagged panel analysis to determine predictive relationships between behaviors and BMIz over time.
Main Results:
- Longer sleep duration was concurrently associated with lower BMIz at all time points (ages 8-12).
- Greater MVPA was linked to lower BMIz in earlier childhood (ages 8-11).
- Higher EI was associated with higher BMIz in later childhood (age 12).
- Baseline sleep duration predicted lower BMIz one year later.
Conclusions:
- Sleep duration plays a consistent, protective role against childhood obesity.
- MVPA and healthy EI are important independent factors for maintaining a healthy weight.
- Interventions targeting sleep duration may be effective in preventing childhood obesity.
Background:
Obesity is a serious issue, spanning all ages, and, in the U.S., disproportionately affects Latinos and African Americans. Understanding sleep, physical activity and dietary behaviors that may predict childhood obesity can help identify behavioral intervention targets.
Methods:
Data were drawn from a U.S. cohort study of 323 Mexican American 8-10-year-old children and their mothers, who participated in a longitudinal study over a 2-year period. Measures were collected at baseline (BL; child mean age = 8.87, SD = 0.83), year 1 (FU1) and year 2 (FU2). Mothers reported on household income and acculturation at BL. Child height and weight were collected and BMI z-scores (BMIz) were calculated for weight status at BL, FU1, and FU2. Accelerometer-estimated sleep duration (hours) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA; minutes) were collected across 3 days at BL, FU1, and FU2. Two 24-h dietary recalls were performed at each time point; from these, average energy intake (EI, kcals/day) was estimated. Cross-lagged panel analysis was used to examine behavioral predictors on BMIz at each time point and across time.
Results:
At BL and FU1, longer sleep duration (β = - 0.22, p < 0.001; β = - 0.17, p < 0.05, respectively) and greater MVPA (β = - 0.13, p < 0.05; β = - 0.20, p < 0.01, respectively) were concurrently related to lower BMIz. At FU2, longer sleep duration (β = - 0.18, p < 0.01) was concurrently related to lower BMIz, whereas greater EI (β = 0.16, p < 0.01) was related to higher BMIz. Longer sleep duration at BL predicted lower BMIz at FU1 (β = - 0.05, p < 0.01).
Conclusions:
Longer sleep duration was concurrently related to lower weight status at each time point from ages 8-10 to 10-12. Higher MVPA was concurrently related to lower weight status in earlier childhood (ages 8-10 and 9-11) and higher EI was concurrently related to higher weight status toward the end of childhood (ages 10-12 years). Furthermore, longer sleep in earlier childhood was protective of children's lower weight status 1 year later. These findings suggest that sleep duration plays a consistent and protective role against childhood obesity; in addition, MVPA and healthy EI remain important independent factors for obtaining a healthy weight.
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