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Sleep and Obesity Risk in Children: A Systematic Review of Multiple Dimensions of Sleep

Surendra Gupta1, Purushottam Lal2

  • 1American Board of Pediatrics, Clinica Sierra Vista, Fresno, CA 93706, USA.

Children (Basel, Switzerland)
|December 30, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Short sleep duration and late sleep timing in children are linked to increased obesity risk. Sleep duration is a key factor, while sleep quality shows inconsistent associations with pediatric obesity.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Public Health Nutrition

Background:

  • Childhood obesity is a significant public health concern.
  • Understanding modifiable risk factors like sleep is crucial for prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between various sleep dimensions (duration, timing, quality) and obesity risk in children and adolescents.
  • To synthesize evidence from existing literature on pediatric sleep and obesity.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic literature review adhering to PRISMA guidelines.
  • Inclusion of peer-reviewed studies on pediatric populations (0-18 years) with objective obesity measures.
  • Analysis of data from 27 studies involving 85,669 participants.

Main Results:

  • A significant inverse relationship was found between short sleep duration and obesity risk.
  • Insufficient sleep correlated with negative weight status, increased waist circumference, and higher obesity prevalence.
  • Later sleep timing on weekdays and weekends was associated with increased obesity risk; sleep quality findings were inconsistent.

Conclusions:

  • Sleep duration is an independent determinant of obesity risk in the pediatric population.
  • Sleep timing demonstrates an association with obesity risk, whereas sleep quality shows inconsistent links.
  • These findings highlight the importance of adequate sleep duration and appropriate sleep timing for preventing childhood obesity.

Keywords:
body mass indexobesitypediatric populationsleepsleep dimensions

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