Association between sleep duration and body-mass-index in 10- to 14-yearold Austrians

Peer-reviewed | Manuscript received: February 16, 2013 | Revision accepted: April 26, 2013

Introduction

Obesity is increasing in all industrial nations around the world, accompanied by serious comorbidities and significant psychosocial limitations among those affected. There is still an insufficient number of treatments and prevention programs [1]. Amongst 6- to 14-year-olds in Austria, one fifth of boys and more than one sixth of girls are overweight or obese [2].

For many years the focus of research has been on the risk factors which contribute to the development of obesity. A combination of genetic determination, social factors and lifestyle factors are presumed to be responsible [3]. The role sleep duration plays in this context is one of the factors that has been investigated. Observations have shown that as the prevalence of obesity increases, the sleeping period decreases [4–6]. Numerous cross-sectional studies related to sleep duration and body mass index (BMI) in adults, as well as in children (particularly those under 10 years of age) demonstrate that insufficient sleep duration is associated with overweight and obesity. There appears to be a stronger tendency towards obesity in the event of shortened sleep duration for boys than girls [5, 7]. There are also potential indications that insufficient sleep duration in childhood has an effect on later body composition [8].

The aim of the study was to analyze the association between sleep duration and BMI in an age group where studies carried out to date have not proven informative and results have not been conclusive.

Summary

This cross-sectional study (n = 301) was designed to analyze the association between sleep duration and body mass index in 10- to 14-year-old Austrians. A significant correlation between sleep duration and BMI was detected in the study population. In a gender-specific analysis, male children were found to be at higher risk to develop overweight/obesity when their sleep duration was decreased (n = 109; Odds Ratio [OR] 6.1; p = 0.033); independently of country of birth and type of school. This correlation was not found for girls.
The evaluation of children’s ideal sleep duration would be helpful in generating consistent (sleep) recommendations which could be integrated into existing prevention programs as an additional tool to avoid overweight and obesity. The results highlight the need for a more comprehensive and representative analysis focusing on obesity and sleep duration, particularly in male children.

Keywords: children, adolescents, sleep duration, obesity, overweight

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