0496 Sleep and Behavior Problems in Children with Overweight and Obesity Free

Limited studies have examined sleep variability in children with overweight and obesity, nor do studies focused on its relation with behavior outcomes in this high risk pediatric population. The purpose of this study was to examine sleep duration and its variability in relation to behavior outcomes in school-age children with overweight and obesity.

Sleep in 246 children aged 6-9 years with overweight and obesity was assessed using actigraphy for 7 days and through the parent-report Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ). Children’s behaviors were assessed using parental responses on the Behavior Assessment for Children. Children were categorized into 4 groups based on the median split of the average daily sleep duration and its variability: sufficient-stable, sufficient-variable, insufficient-stable, and insufficient-variable. General linear model (GLM) analyses were performed with the 4 sleep groups as the primary predictor variable and child behavior outcomes as the dependent variable.

Average daily sleep duration by actigraphy was 7.52 hours, with 84.6% of the children having clinically significant CSHQ sleep disturbance scores and 68.3% having a total behavior problem score in the clinical range. In the unadjusted and adjusted GLM analysis, children in the insufficient-stable sleep duration category had significantly higher emotion problem (p < 0.05), self-control problem (p < 0.01), and total behavior problem scores (p < 0.01) when compared with those in the sufficient-stable sleep duration (reference) category. Children in the insufficient-variable sleep duration category had significantly higher self-control problem scores when compared with those in the reference category (p < 0.05).

School-age children with overweight and obesity coexist with sleep and behavior problems, with those who have persistent short sleep at the greatest risk for the worst behavior outcomes.

This work was supported by Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan, MOST 107 - 2314 - B - 002 - 025 - MY3.