Kong, A. P., Wing, Y. K., Choi, K. C., Li, A. M., Ko, G. T., Ma, R. C., . . . Chan, J. C. (2011). Associations of sleep duration with obesity and serum lipid profile in children and adolescents. Sleep Medicine, 12(7), 659-65.

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Abstract

Introduction

The association between sleep duration, obesity, and serum lipid profile in the youth population is under-explored.

Objective

To evaluate the association between sleep duration, obesity and serum lipid profile in the youth population.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional population-based study with students recruited from primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong. Anthropometric measurements, fasting lipid profiles and validated questionnaires on sleep duration were performed. A subgroup (n=138) was randomly selected for both questionnaires and actigraphy to assess the agreement between subjective and objective measurements of sleep duration.

Results

We studied 2053 healthy children and adolescents aged 6-20 years. Their mean ages were 13.0±3.3 (boys) and 13.6±3.3 (girls) years. The average sleep duration during schooldays, weekends, and long holidays was 8.0±1.1, 9.6±1.2, and 9.8±1.2h in boys and 7.7±1.1, 9.9±1.2, and 10.1±1.2h in girls, respectively. Using logistic regression, age, and pubertal stage were associated with obesity in secondary school students, whereas male gender and short sleep duration were associated with obesity in primary school children. In secondary school children, those with long sleep duration, as compared to those with short sleep duration, were significantly associated with reduced risk to have high TC and LDL-C levels after adjustment for age, gender, BMI, and pubertal stage. There was no significant association between sleep duration and lipid levels in primary school children.

Conclusions

Reduced sleep duration was associated with obesity and atherogenic dyslipidemia in young school children in Hong Kong.

MeSH Terms
    Actigraphy/statistics & numerical data
    Adolescent
    Asian Continental Ancestry Group/statistics & numerical data
    Child
    Dyslipidemias/blood
    Dyslipidemias/epidemiology*
    Female
    Hong Kong/epidemiology
    Humans
    Lipids/blood*
    Male
    Obesity/blood
    Obesity/epidemiology*
    Prevalence
    Random Allocation
    Sleep/physiology*
    Sleep Wake Disorders/blood
    Sleep Wake Disorders/epidemiology*
    Surveys and Questionnaires
    Young Adult

Substances
    Lipids