Sleep habits and weight status in Brazilian children aged 4-6 years of age: the PREDI study.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES\nTo evaluate the association of sleep habits with the weight status of children aged 4-6 years.\n\n\nMETHODS\nData were obtained from the PREDI Study, a Brazilian birth cohort study. The current study was carried out in the homes of the participants during two follow-ups: 2016/17 and 2018. The participants were submitted to anthropometric assessment and demographic, socioeconomic and sleep data were obtained. The child s sleep habits were self-reported by the mother or caregiver on the day of the visit and included information on the following sleep habits during the past week: bedtime routine, rhythmicity, and separation affect determined with the Sleep Habits Inventory for Preschool Children and the Sleep Habits Inventory. Logistic regression and gamma-log regression analyses were used to examine the association of sleep habits with excess body weight of children in the two follow-ups according to sex.\n\n\nRESULTS\nOf the 217 and 185 children included in 2016/17 and 2018, respectively, 66 (30.6%) and 48 (25.9%) had a BMI >85th percentile at 4-6 years, respectively. The median rhythmicity score was higher in children with excess body weight (p\xa0=\xa00.05). Adjusted analysis showed that rhythmicity was associated with excess body weight of girls at ages 4-5 years (OR\xa0=\xa01.42, 95% CI: 1.09-1.86, p\xa0=\xa00.009) and 6 years (OR\xa0=\xa01.32, 95% CI: 1.06-1.65, p\xa0=\xa00.015), even after adjustment for other important covariates. Additionally, the sleep habit separation affect was inversely associated with the child s BMI in boys (β\xa0=\xa0-0.005, 95% CI:\xa0-0.010-0.000, p\xa0=\xa00.037).\n\n\nCONCLUSIONS\nIn the present study, rhythmicity problems were associated with increased odds of girls aged 4-6 years having excess body weight. These results are important from a public health perspective since strategies aimed at preventing excess body weight in children need to consider the child s sleep quality as a potential risk factor, especially rhythmicity.