Relations between sleep duration with overweight and academic stress-just a matter of the socioeconomic status?

Abstract

Objectives: Shorter sleep duration in childhood has already been associated with health-related and psychological factors, such as overweight/obesity or stress. This study investigates associations of sleep duration with overweight/obesity and stress related to academic success in school ("academic stress") in dependence on children's socioeconomic status.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Setting: LIFE Child Study, a study investigating child development from pregnancy to adulthood.

Participants: A total of 1537 (2325 observations) 1- to 14-year-old children were considered. Analyses on academic stress were performed in a subgroup of 450 school-aged children (631 observations).

Measurements: Associations between sleep duration and overweight/obesity as well as academic stress were analyzed using linear mixed-effect regression models controlling for multiple visits. Importantly, all associations were checked for interactions with families' socioeconomic status.

Results: The analyses revealed negative associations between sleep duration and overweight/obesity as well as academic stress, which, however, were only observable in children from families with a low socioeconomic status. The associations were consistent across all ages.

Conclusions: The findings suggest that children from families with a low socioeconomic status have a higher susceptibility for risk factors promoting sleep deficiency, overweight, or academic stress, for example, unhealthy food intake, high media consumption, or the loss of coping strategies for academic stress at school.

Keywords: Academic stress; Adolescent; Child; Overweight; Sleep duration; Socioeconomic status.