Effect of Sleep Duration, Diet, and Physical Activity on Obesity and Overweight Elementary School Students in Shanghai

J Sch Health. 2018 Feb;88(2):112-121. doi: 10.1111/josh.12583.

Abstract

Background: This was a cross-sectional survey to investigate the relationship of age, parent education, sleep duration, physical activity, and dietary habits with overweight or obesity in school-age children in Shanghai.

Methods: The survey gathered information from 13,001 children in grades 1 through 5 (age 6 to 10 years) among 26 elementary schools in 7 districts. Activity level was evaluated using the International Children's Leisure Activities Study Survey Questionnaire (CLASS-C). The definitions of normal, overweight, and obese were adjusted for each age.

Results: Logistic regression analysis indicated that age, being male, having ≤10 hours of sleep on non-school days, eating ≥1 vegetable/day, or drinking ≥1 sugar-sweetened drink/day increased the risk for a child being overweight or obese compared with having >10 hours of sleep or ≤3 vegetables or ≤3 sugar-sweetened drinks/month (p ≤ .008). Having >2 hours of outdoor activities on non-school days reduced the risk of being overweight or obese compared with ≤2 hours of outdoor activities on non-school days (p < .001).

Conclusions: We found that age, sex, sleep, and some dietary habits impacted weight, and suggests that specific cultural and economic factors may impact risk of a child being overweight or obese.

Keywords: children; dietary habits; obese; overweight; physical activities; sleep.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Age Factors
  • Beverages
  • Body Mass Index
  • Body Weight
  • Child
  • China / epidemiology
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Diet / statistics & numerical data*
  • Exercise*
  • Feeding Behavior
  • Female
  • Health Behavior
  • Humans
  • Logistic Models
  • Male
  • Overweight / epidemiology*
  • Pediatric Obesity / epidemiology*
  • Sex Factors
  • Sleep*
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Vegetables