Impact of Childhood Obesity and Psychological Factors on Sleep

Abstract

The aim of the study was to analyze sleep duration and behaviors in relation to psychological parameters in children and adolescents with obesity seeking inpatient weight-loss treatment in comparison to normal-weight children, and whether or not these variables would improve during the time course of treatment. Sixty children or adolescents with overweight and obesity (OBE) and 27 normal-weight (NW) peers (age: 9–17) were assessed for subjective sleep measures through self-reported and parent-reported questionnaires, as well as body weight, body composition, and psychological questionnaires. The OBE participants were assessed upon admission and before discharge of an inpatient multidisciplinary weight-loss program. NW participants' data were collected for cross-sectional comparison. In comparison to NW, children and adolescents with OBE had a shorter self-reported sleep duration and had poorer sleep behaviors and more sleep-disordered breathing as reported by their parents. No change in sleep measures occurred during the inpatient treatment. Psychological factors including higher anxiety, depression, and destructive-anger-related emotion regulation were moderate predictors for unfavorable sleep outcomes, independent of weight status. Children with obesity had less favorable sleep patterns, and psychological factors influenced sleep in children, independent of weight. More research is needed on the relationship and direction of influence between sleep, psychological factors, and obesity, and whether they can be integrated in the prevention and management of childhood obesity and possibly also other pediatric diseases.

Investigating the causal effects of childhood and adulthood adiposity on later life mental health outcome: a Mendelian randomisation study

“…In contrast, a systematic review and meta-analysis by Moradi et al observed no association between childhood adiposity and childhood anxiety (Moradi et al, 2022). Several other studies have suggested inconsistent associations between childhood obesity and childhood anxiety, but no studies have reported a protective association (Godina-Flores et al, 2022, Mazurak et al, 2021. Therefore, further validation of our findings in an independent study is warrented.…”

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“…20 It is also a risk factor for sleep disturbances in overweight children, and both obesity and depression are associated with the presence of high inflammatory impacts. 21,22 It is also shown that children who are obese may also have multiple psychosocial challenges, 12 may be subject to weight-based cyber victimization that potentially provokes depression, 23 plus poor academic as well as coping skills that can duly impact their overall mental and physical health significantly and adversely. 24 They may also be at risk for excess overweight status due to excess or poor eating practices as a result of being cared for by depressed caregivers, 17 and that could that well foster signs of negative psychological outcomes such as depression, low self-esteem, and life quality among these youth in their own right.…”

Childhood sleep: assessments, risk factors, and potential mechanisms

“…With the increasing prevalence of obesity in children, a majority of studies have focused on the contributing role of sleep deficiency to obesity [ 96 ]. However, research also reports that obese adolescents experienced considerably poorer sleep outcomes (i.e., duration, quality, and daytime somnolence) than their peers of normal weight [ 12 ]. The exact underlying mechanisms are unclear but involve those at the biological and environmental levels (e.g., dietary intake, media use, physical activity) [ 12 ].…”

“…However, research also reports that obese adolescents experienced considerably poorer sleep outcomes (i.e., duration, quality, and daytime somnolence) than their peers of normal weight [ 12 ]. The exact underlying mechanisms are unclear but involve those at the biological and environmental levels (e.g., dietary intake, media use, physical activity) [ 12 ]. Further research should clarify the direction of the relationship between sleep and obesity.…”

“…Many factors contribute to a child’s sleep deficiency, including early childhood risk factors such as genetic, prenatal, postnatal, environmental, psychosocial, and other risk factors. Furthermore, sleep deficiency has been shown to adversely impact physical health [ 7 ], behavior [ 8 – 10 ], emotional well-being [ 9 , 11 , 12 ], cognition [ 13 , 14 ], psychopathology [ 13 , 15 , 16 ], and familial relationships [ 7 , 17 ].…”