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. 2023 Aug;18(8):e13056.
doi: 10.1111/ijpo.13056. Epub 2023 May 28.

Longitudinal associations between sleep and weight status in infants and toddlers

Agnes G Bucko  1 , Bridget Armstrong  2 , Kerry L McIver  2   3 , Alexander C McLain  4 , Russell R Pate  2
Affiliations

Longitudinal associations between sleep and weight status in infants and toddlers

Agnes G Bucko et al. Pediatr Obes. 2023 Aug.

Abstract

Background: The limited research assessing relationships between sleep duration and weight status in infants and toddlers relies primarily on parent-reported sleep and cross-sectional studies.

Objectives: Examine whether average sleep duration and changes in sleep duration among 6-24-month-old children were associated with weight-for-length z-scores, and whether these associations varied by race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status and sex.

Methods: Data were collected when children were approximately 6, 12, 18 and 24 months old (N = 116). Sleep duration was measured using actigraphy. Weight-for-length z-scores were calculated using children's height and weight. Physical activity was assessed using accelerometry. Diet was assessed using a feeding frequency questionnaire. Demographic characteristics included sex, race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Separate associations of between- and within-person changes in sleep duration were estimated with weight-for-length z-score treated as the outcome variable in linear mixed model analyses. Additional models were assessed that included interactions between sleep and demographic characteristics.

Results: At time points where children slept longer at night compared to their own average, their weight-for-length z-score was lower. This relationship was attenuated by physical activity levels.

Conclusions: Increasing sleep duration can improve weight status outcomes in very young children who have low physical activity levels.

Keywords: diet; infant; physical activity; sleep; weight status.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: This work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health [R01-HD091483 and T32-GM081740]. Work on this article by Armstrong was supported in part by the National Institute Of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health for the UofSC Research Center for Child Well-Being under Award Number P20GM130420. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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