Associations of short sleep duration with childhood obesity and weight gain: summary of a presentation to the National Academy of Science's Roundtable on Obesity Solutions

Abstract

This article summarizes a presentation made in February 2017 as part of the National Academy of Sciences' Roundtable on Obesity Solutions webinar, "The Potential Role of Sleep in Obesity Prevention and Management: A Virtual Workshop." Briefly described are the patterns of childhood sleep duration in the United States, the state of the science relating insufficient sleep to overweight and obesity in infancy and early childhood, and the potential mechanisms for the association. Also discussed are intervention efforts to date. Despite research gaps, interventions aimed at increasing sleep quality and quantity may help prevent childhood obesity.

Keywords: Childhood obesity; Sleep duration; Weight gain.