Sleep Duration and Obesity in Children & Adolescents: Evidence from an Updated and Dose response Meta-analysis

Previous studies have widely evaluated the association between sleep duration and obesity in children and adolescents. On the other hand, the current findings are mixed and prospective studies are limited. Hence, Xiangling Deng and colleagues conducted a study published in the sleep medicine journal under the title “Sleep duration and obesity in children and adolescents: evidence from an updated and dose-response meta-analysis”. The summary of this article is given below:

Objective:

To summarize and yield more information on the above-discussed topic.

Methods:

Literature retrieval, study selection, and data extraction were conducted independently and in duplicate. Effect-size estimates are expressed as relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) or standardized regression coefficient (b) with standard error.

Findings:

Investigators found that the short sleep duration can elevate the risk of obesity in children
and adolescents, especially within the age group of 3-13 years. Whereas long sleep duration seemed beneficial in preventing obesity. Some measures that could be considered to ensure sufficient sleep duration in children are promoting earlier bedtimes, delaying high school start times, ensuring fewer opportunities to eat later at night, and limiting screen time exposure.

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