| Children who sleep less are more likely to struggle with obesity
Children who sleep less are more likely to struggle with obesity
A Northwestern University study indicates that inadequate sleep has a negative impact on a child's performance in school, their emotional and social welfare, and increases their risk of being overweight. This study was the first nationally represented, longitudinal investigation of the correlation between sleep, Body Mass Index (BMI) and overweight status in children between the ages of 3 and 18. The study found that an extra hour of sleep an lowered the children's risk of being overweight from 36% to 30%, while it lessened older children's risk from 34% to 30%.
"Our study suggests that earlier bedtimes, later wake times and later school start times could be an important and relatively low-cost strategy to help reduce childhood weight problems," says Emily Snell. Snell is co-author of "Sleep and the Body Mass Index and Overweight Status of Children and Adolescents" in Child Development.
The Northwestern study not only differs from most other investigations of the effects of sleep on children's weight in its five-year approach. It also helps disentangle the issue of whether sleep actually affects weight or whether children who already are overweight are simply poor sleepers. In addition, it takes into account the possible effects of other variables including race, ethnicity and income.
This study was co-authored by Emily Snell, as well as by Emma K. Adam and Greg J. Duncan, assistant professor and professor of education and social policy, respectively.
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