Associations between parent-reported sleep duration and adiposity in Chinese early adolescents.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Short sleep duration has recently been found to be associated with obesity in children, but findings involving adolescents have been less consistent, and some have mentioned gender differences. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between parent-reported sleep duration and adiposity in early adolescence (10-12 years old) and to explore gender differences within this population. METHODS: Participants were 1309 fifth-grade students (685 boys) from 10 primary schools in Shanghai, China. Body mass index (BMI), waist-height ratio (WHeR) and body fat percentage (BF%) were assessed. Sleep and other potential contributors were recorded by parents or self-reported. RESULTS: Compared with adolescents in the longest sleep group (greater than or equal to +1 SD, ≥10.05 h), those in the shortest sleep group (less than -1 SD, <8.89 h) had significantly higher BMI, WHeR and BF%. Sleep was found to be closely related to increased adiposity in girls who were in the shortest and shorter sleep group (association was found in boys.

CONCLUSIONS:

Short sleep duration was associated with higher adiposity indices in early adolescents from China, especially in girls. Interventions focusing on modifying adolescents' sleep habits may potentially prevent obesity and overweight.