Sleep and the body mass index and overweight status of children and adolescents

Emily K. Snell*, Emma K. Adam, Greg J. Duncan

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

281 Scopus citations

Abstract

Associations between sleep and the body mass index (BMI) and overweight status of children and adolescents were estimated using longitudinal data from a nationally representative sample of 2,281 children aged 3-12 years at baseline. Controlling for baseline BMI, children who slept less, went to bed later, or got up earlier at the time of the first assessment had higher BMIs 5 years later and were more likely to be overweight. Child age moderated the relationship between bedtime and BMI. In addition, the study reports nationally representative data on the sleep habits of American children aged 3-18 years. This study underscores the likely importance of sleep on children's physical health and suggests that sleep is important for understanding childhood weight problems.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)309-323
Number of pages15
JournalChild development
Volume78
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2007

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Education
  • Developmental and Educational Psychology
  • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Sleep and the body mass index and overweight status of children and adolescents'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this