(PTFS14-01-24) Importance of Sleep: Associations Between Sleeping Habits Dietary Patterns Among Preschool-Aged Children

Objectives: Evidence suggests that adolescents and adults with shorter sleep and later sleep patterns are more susceptible to unhealthy diet-related behaviors which may increase metabolic disease risk. However, little is known about the associations between sleep and dietary patterns (DPs) among younger children. We aimed to investigate how actigraphy-assessed sleep associates with DPs of preschoolers.

Methods: Participants were 3–6-year-old preschoolers in the cross-sectional DAGIS-study (fall 2015- summer 2016) in Finland with 4-7 (minimum of 2 weekend) nights of sleep data and parent-reported food frequency questionnaire. Sleep variables included nighttime sleep duration excluding wake after sleep onset, efficiency, social jetlag, and weekend sleep midpoint adjusted for weekday sleep debt (MSWEadj). Children who slept under 9 h/night were considered short sleepers. Previously identified DPs (PCA analysis, 17% variance) from FFQs included ‘sweets-and-treats’, ‘health conscious’, and ‘vegetables and processed meats’. A DP-specific adherence score was calculated for each child. Associations between sleep and DP-scores were assessed with regression models adjusting for age, sex, BMI, day length, physical activity, and SES.

Results: Participants included 618 children (mean age: 4.74 (SD 0.90) years, 49% girls). Children had 8.47(0.54) hrs of nighttime sleep with 87(4)% sleep efficiency and 26 (28) mins of social jetlag. Mean time of MSWEadj was 02:25 (42 min).

Compared to children with adequate sleep, short sleepers had lower sleep efficiency (p < 0.001) and less ‘health conscious’ DPs (p=0.03). Longer sleep duration was associated with ‘health conscious’ DP as both continuous (B-est: 0.17, (95%CI: 0.03. 0.30), p< 0.02) and categorical (0.32 (0.11, 0.54), p< 0.01) variables. Later MSWEadj was associated with higher ‘sweets-and-treats’ DP (0.18, (0.07, 0.29), p< 0.01). Sleep efficiency and social jetlag are not associated with any DPs.

Conclusions: Similar to studies with older children and adults, our findings suggest that children with longer sleep duration and earlier sleep-wake rhythm tend to exhibit healthier eating habits. Nutritional research should consider the role of sleep health when assessing children.

Funding Sources: Juho Vainio Foundation, Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation, and the Doctoral Program in Food Chain and Health, Univeristy of Helsinki