Interaction between adolescent sleep rhythms and gender in an obese population

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Public Health
• Sleep Medicine

Background:

• Rising adolescent obesity rates pose significant mental health challenges.
• Sleep patterns are increasingly recognized as a crucial factor in adolescent obesity development.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate the link between sleep rhythm and adolescent obesity.
• Explore the combined effect of sleep rhythm and gender on obesity risk.
• Inform targeted interventions for adolescent obesity.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Tianjin Mental Health Promotion Program for Students (2022).
• Convenient cluster sampling included 14,201 middle school students; 13,374 completed the survey (94.2% effective rate).
• Assessed sleep rhythm using the reduced Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire and collected anthropometric data.

Main Results:

• Obesity affected 22% and overweight 15.7% of the 13,374 participants.
• Male adolescents exhibited higher obesity rates (25.1%) than females (18.9%).
• Evening-type sleep rhythm was associated with increased obesity risk, particularly in males, with a significant interaction effect between evening sleep and male gender.

Conclusions:

• Male adolescents have a higher incidence of obesity compared to females.
• Evening-type sleep rhythm significantly contributes to male adolescent obesity.
• The combination of evening sleep patterns and male gender is a critical risk factor for adolescent obesity, necessitating focused preventive strategies.