Abstract
Objectives
To describe sleep duration and sleep characteristics, and to examine the associations between sleep duration and characteristics and body weight status, diet quality, and physical activity levels among grade 5 children in Nova Scotia.
Methods
A provincially representative sample of 5,560 grade 5 children and their parents in Nova Scotia was surveyed. Parents were asked to report their child’s bedtime and wake-up time, and to indicate how often their child snored or felt sleepy during the day. Dietary intake and physical activity were self-reported by children using the Harvard Youth/Adolescent Food Frequency Questionnaire and the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children respectively. Body weight status was determined using measured heights and weights. Linear and logistic random effects models with children nested within schools were used to test for associations.
Results
Approximately half of the surveyed parents reported that their children were not getting adequate sleep at night. Longer sleep duration was statistically significantly associated with decreased risk for overweight and obesity independent of other sleep characteristics (OR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.73, 0.91). Longer sleep duration was also associated with better diet quality and higher levels of physical activity.
Conclusions
These findings indicate a need for health promotion strategies to encourage adequate sleep and to promote healthy sleep environments among children. Given the links among sleep, body weight status and lifestyle behaviours, these messages should be included in public health interventions aimed at preventing obesity and promoting health among children.
Key Words: Sleep, diet quality, physical activity, body weight, child
Résumé
Objectifs
Décrire la durée et les caractéristiques du sommeil, et examiner les associations entre la durée et les caractéristiques du sommeil, d’une part, et le statut pondéral, la qualité du régime alimentaire et les niveaux d’activité physique, d’autre part, chez les élèves de 5e année en Nouvelle-Écosse.
Méthode
Nous avons sondé un échantillon provincial représentatif de 5 560 élèves de 5e année et leurs parents en Nouvelle-Écosse. Nous avons demandé aux parents d’inscrire l’heure du coucher et du lever de leur enfant et d’indiquer combien souvent leur enfant ronflait ou se sentait fatigué durant la journée. L’apport alimentaire et l’activité physique ont été autodéclarés par les enfants à l’aide des questionnaires Harvard Youth/Adolescent Food Frequency et Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children, respectivement. Nous avons déterminé le statut pondéral à l’aide de la taille et du poids mesurés. Des modèles linéaires et logistiques à effets aléatoires, avec les données des enfants emboîtées dans celles des écoles, ont servi à tester les associations.
Résultats
Environ la moitié des parents sondés ont déclaré que leurs enfants ne dormaient pas suffisamment la nuit. Un sommeil plus long présentait une corrélation statistiquement significative avec un risque réduit de surpoids et d’obésité, indépendamment des autres caractéristiques du sommeil (RC = 0,82, IC de 95 %: 0,73, 0,91). Un sommeil plus long était également associé à un régime alimentaire de meilleure qualité et à des niveaux d’activité physique supérieurs.
Conclusions
Il faudrait des stratégies de promotion de la santé qui encouragent un sommeil suffisant et de sains environnements de sommeil chez les enfants. Étant donné les liens entre le sommeil, le statut pondéral et les comportements liés au mode de vie, de tels messages devraient être inclus dans les interventions de santé publique visant à prévenir l’obésité et à promouvoir la santé chez les enfants.
Mots Clés: sommeil, qualité du régime alimentaire, activité physique; poids, enfant
Footnotes
Acknowledgements: The authors thank stakeholders from the Nova Scotia Government and Nova Scotia School Boards, as well as schools, parents and students for their participation in this study. This research was funded by an operating grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Paul Veugelers acknowledges the support from a CIHR Canada Research Chair in Population Health and an Alberta Innovates Health Solutions Scholarship. Sara Kirk acknowledges the support from a CIHR Canada Research Chair in Health Services Research and an IWK Scholar Award. All interpretations and opinions in the current study are those of the authors.
Conflict of Interest: None to declare.
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