Poor quality of sleep has been associated with body mass index (BMI) high in children and at risk of obesity, according to results of a study published in the medical journal American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). In the United States, about one in five children aged 6 to 19 is obese, according to recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rate of American children suffering fromobesity has more than tripled since the 1970s, with significant long-term health effects.
Researchers followed 120 children with an average age of eight to study the link between obesity and sleep. To track the sleep-wake cycle, children wore accelerometers continuously for 24 hours a day for a period of five days. To assess eating habits, children finished their meals with a hunger test, which researchers then tracked how much food they ate once they reached fullness.
Disturbed sleep, a risk factor for obesity
“Today, many children do not get enough sleep”, explained Dr. Bernard Fuemmeler, author of the study: “There are a number of distractions, such as screens in the bedroom, which interrupt and fragment the sleep, which over time can be a risk factor for obesity. “
Researchers observed that shorter sleep duration was associated with BMI higher (body mass index adjusted for age and sex). Each additional hour of sleep was associated with a 0.13 decrease in BMI and a 1.29 centimeter decrease in waist circumference.
The study also found that more fragmented rest-activity rhythms and prolonged alteration in wakefulness at the time of the wake-to-sleep transition were also associated with a larger waist circumference. Children who started to be active later in the day consumed more calories once they reached the point of satiety.
Read also:
Children who snore at risk of obesity
Children’s sleep linked to obesity
Obesity harms heart health from adolescence