Predictors of Changes in Sleep Duration in Dutch Primary Schoolchildren: the ChecKid Study

Multi-faceted nutritional science demonstrated through the prism of sugar: a scoping review on sugar intake and association with quality of life in children and adolescents

BACKGROUND

To strengthen the scientific evidence linking dietary sugar consumption with health outcomes, it's essential to look beyond the usual focus on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and tooth decay. We thus hypothesize that considering other dimensions of health beyond physical health will meaningfully complement the evidence and expand our understanding of the relationship between nutrition and health.

PURPOSE

The aim of this scoping review was to explore the scientific evidence of an association between dietary sugar intake and quality of life (QoL) among healthy children and adolescents.

METHODS

We performed a literature search in three databases (i.e., PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science). The search included all types of studies assessing dietary sugar intake in association with QoL, in children and adolescents published in English between January 2001 and January 2023.

RESULTS

Twenty-one full-text eligible papers were included in this review: one intervention, two prospective cohort studies, and 18 cross-sectional studies. The number of participants ranged from 25 to 65,000 and age of the participants ranged from 4 to 19 years. The studies differed considerably in exposure and outcome measures. For further qualitative analyses, the studies were categorized into studies related to different dimensions of QoL: food security (n = 4), sleep-related outcomes (n = 5), oral (n = 3) and (mental) health-related QoL (n = 9). Altogether, one study reported a null while the remaining 20 studies found adverse associations between intake of sugar, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), or sweets and outcome measures of QoL.

CONCLUSION

Through this scoping review, a number of scientific studies have revealed an association between sugar intake among children and adolescents and health-related QoL. The findings underscore a negative association. Our review emphasizes the crucial imperative of embracing a broader spectrum of health dimensions to gain a more wholistic understanding of nutrition, especially in collecting science-based evidence for the development of health policies, including dietary guidelines.

The association between sleep duration and risk of myopia in Chinese school-aged children: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Myopia is one of the most commonly diagnosed refractive disorders worldwide. Identifying risk factors for myopia at an early age may help to characterize children who would benefit most from individualized lifestyle advice and early interventions. The influence of sleep duration on myopia risk remains controversial and thus needs to be evaluated.

METHODS

A population-based cross-sectional study of Chinese school-aged children was conducted. Information on sleep duration was derived. The association between sleep duration and myopia risk was investigated by logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Myopia prevalence among 9530 Chinese school-aged children was 75.4% and decreased from 84.9%, 76.5%, 65.8%, to 61.3% along with the extension of sleep duration. Univariate logistic regression found longer sleep duration of 8-9 h (OR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.51-0.66), 9-10 h (OR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.30-0.39), and ≥ 10 h (OR = 0.28, 95% CI: 0.24-0.33) were protective factors for myopia in all participants (P for trend < 0.001). In the multivariate analyses, sleep duration was inversely associated with the risk of myopia, and a dose-effect relationship was observed when the analysis was split by age category.

CONCLUSIONS

Long sleep duration was associated with decreased risk of myopia in Chinese school-aged children.

Associations Between Multidimensional Sleep Health Parameters and Adolescents' Self-reported Light Exposure in the Free-living Environment

The objective of this study was to characterize the associations between light exposure in the free-living environment and multiple dimensions of sleep health of typically developing adolescents. Fifty-six (29 girls, 27 boys) typically developing adolescents (mean age = 13.59, SD = 0.89, range = 12-17 years) participated. For six consecutive nights, sleep was assessed in the home environment using actigraphy. During the same period, participants were asked to fill out a daily sleep log and a daily light exposure log, and to complete questionnaires regarding their alertness and subjective sleep satisfaction. Longer self-reported exposure to daylight in the morning was associated with longer objectively measured sleep duration. Longer self-reported exposures to electronic devices in the evening were associated with later objectively measured sleep onset and offset times, shorter sleep duration, and greater day-to-day sleep variability. Longer morning exposure to outdoor light was associated with a longer sleep duration. Self-reported light exposure was not associated with sleep satisfaction, alertness/sleepiness, or sleep efficiency. Among the covariates, circadian preference accounted for the highest percentage of variance. Adolescents' sleep health is associated with the self-reported duration of exposure to daylight in the morning and to electronic devices in the evening.

Timing of sedentary behaviour and access to sedentary activities in the bedroom and their association with sleep quality and duration in children and youth: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to systematically review the relationship between the timing of sedentary behaviours and access to sedentary activities in the bedroom with sleep duration and quality in children and youth. A secondary purpose was to examine whether these relationships differ when comparing screen-based and non-screen-based sedentary activities.

METHODS

We searched four databases for peer-reviewed studies published between 1 January 2010 and 19 January 2021. Risk of bias assessment for each study and certainty of evidence were assessed using the GRADE framework.

RESULTS

We identified 44 eligible papers reporting data from 42 separate datasets and including 239 267 participants. Evening participation in screen-based sedentary behaviours and access to screen-based devices in the bedroom were associated with reduced sleep duration and quality. Daytime screen use was also associated with reduced sleep duration, although this was examined in relatively few studies. Whether performed during the day or night, non-screen-based sedentary behaviours were not consistently associated with sleep duration or quality. The quality of evidence was rated as low to very low for all outcomes.

CONCLUSION

In order to maximize sleep duration and quality, children and youth should be encouraged to minimize screen time in the evening and remove screens from bedrooms. (PROSPERO registration no.: CRD42020189082).

24-hour movement behaviour profiles and their transition in children aged 5.5 and 8 years - findings from a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Time spent in movement behaviours, including physical activity (PA), sedentary behaviour (SB) and sleep, across the 24-h day may have distinct health consequences. We aimed to describe 24-h movement behaviour (24 h-MB) profiles in children and how profile membership changed from age 5.5 to 8 years.

METHODS

Children in the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) cohort were asked to wear an accelerometer (ActiGraph-GT3X+) on their wrist for seven consecutive days at ages 5.5 and 8 years to measure 24 h-MB patterns. Time spent in night sleep, inactivity (proxy for SB), light PA, moderate PA (MPA), and vigorous PA (VPA) per day were calculated using the R-package GGIR 2.0. Using latent profile analyses (n = 442) we identified 24 h-MB profiles, which were given animal names to convey key characteristics. Latent transition analyses were used to describe the profile membership transition from ages 5.5 to 8 years. Associations with sex and ethnicity were examined.

RESULTS

We identified four profiles, "Rabbits" (very high-MPA/VPA, low-inactivity and average-night-sleep), "Chimpanzees" (high-MPA, low-inactivity and average-night-sleep), "Pandas" (low-PA, high-inactivity and high-night-sleep) and "Owls" (low-PA, high-inactivity and low-night-sleep), among children at both time points. At ages 5.5 and 8 years, the majority of children were classified into profiles of "Chimpanzees" (51 and 39%, respectively) and "Pandas" (24 and 37%). Half of the sample (49%), particularly "Rabbits", remained in the same profile at ages 5.5 and 8 years: among children who changed profile the predominant transitions occurred from "Chimpanzees" (27%) and "Owls" (56%) profiles to "Pandas". Sex, but not ethnicity, was associated with profile membership: compared to girls, boys were more likely to be in the "Rabbits" profile (adjusted OR [95% CI]: 3.6 [1.4, 9.7] and 4.5 [1.8, 10.9] at ages 5.5 and 8 years, respectively) and less likely to be in the "Pandas" profile (0.5 [0.3, 0.9] and 0.4 [0.2, 0.6]) at both ages.

CONCLUSIONS

With increasing age about half the children stayed in the same of four 24 h-MB profiles, while the predominant transition for the remaining children was towards lower PA, higher inactivity and longer sleep duration. These findings can aid development and implementation of public health strategies to promote better health.

STUDY REGISTRATION

This study was registered on 4th August 2010 and is available online at ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01174875 .

Correlates of inadequate sleep health among primary school children

The aim of the present study was to explore potential factors of inadequate sleep health (i.e. sleep duration, quality, and timing) of school-aged children. Data were collected among 382 primary school children (aged 4-13 years) and their parents. Personal characteristics (i.e. age, sex), individual lifestyle behaviours (i.e. screen use, sleep hygiene behaviour), social and community factors (i.e. parental sleep-related practices, parental barriers, perceived ethnicity), and living conditions (i.e. parental educational level, sleep environment) were assessed with a parental questionnaire. Sleep duration, quality, and timing were assessed with a sleep diary. Associations were analysed using linear mixed models and logistic regression analyses. In total, 332 children, with a mean (range) age of 7.5 (4-13) years, were included in the analyses. The mean sleep duration was 632 min/night, the mean sleep quality score was 40, on a scale from 10 to 50, and 25% had a bedtime that varied >40 min between weekdays. Factors negatively associated with children's sleep health included older age, perceived non-Dutch cultural background, lower parental pre-sleep emotional support, the parental barrier to get their child to bed on time when siblings have a later bedtime, high parental educational level, sleeping in a darkened bedroom, and being brought to bed after falling asleep. On average, children in the present study had adequate sleep health. The factors found to be associated with children's sleep health are useful for future healthy sleep research and intervention development.

Furthering the Focus on Translational Sleep Science in Behavioral Medicine

Translational sleep science has become a critical and fundamental focus in the field of behavioral medicine. This is the second issue in the special series of the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine focused on the physiological, psychological, social, and environmental concomitants of sleep and human health. The articles included in this issue draw further attention to the range and significance of sleep as a marker of health status and as a target of behavioral intervention. The research included in this series highlights the pervasive manner in which sleep health is intrinsically connected to health risk, behavior, and outcomes. The next decade promises to further behavioral medicine approaches to improving the provision of care and the overall public health through the implementation of translational sleep science research.