Abstract
Obesity is a serious problem that is growing in developed countries and many children as short-sleepers have been reported to be obese. However, no studies have been conducted on the relationship between BMI shown by mothers of children aged 1-6 years and their own circadian typology. This study aims to clarify this relationship in Japanese mothers. An integrated questionnaire on diurnal rhythms (including the Diurnal Type Scale constructed by Torsval & Akerstedt), sleep habits, meal habits, lighting conditions at night, weight and height was administered to mothers and their children aged 1-6 years. Sixty-two percent of 863 mothers answered the questionnaire for themselves and their children. All the obese mothers (BMI of 28 or more) had MEQ scores of less than 18 and were more evening-typed than non-obese mothers (BMI of less than 28) (p=0.02). A higher ratio of obese mothers watched TV after 11:00 p.m. (p=0.049) and used fluorescent lights while watching TV after 11:00 p.m. (p=0.023) compared to non-obese mothers. Obese mothers showed a higher frequency of depression (p=0.044) and tended to have higher frequency of becoming irritated (p=0.09) than non-obese mothers. The children of obese mothers were significantly more evening-typed (Mean±SD=18.5±3.6) than those of the other mothers (21.1±3.2) (p=0.018). Evening-typed life of mothers with watching mid-night TV would be related to obesity of mothers and children. This study concludes that obese mothers of children aged 1-6 years are evening-typed and the children of obese mothers are also more evening-typed than those of non-obese mothers
Highlights
Nielsen et al (2011) summarized the 71 recent original studies and seven reviews on the relationship between short sleep duration and obesity and concluded that the relationship is clear in young children and adolescents but not in adults
The Council of Communications and Media, The Academy of American Pediatrics (2011) recently warned that children who watch TV late at night have a high risk of obesity, because they have higher-fat diets, drink more soda and have lower calorie expenditure from less exercise (O’Keeffe et al, 2011; Council of communications and media & The Academy of American Pediatrics, 2011)
A significant positive correlation was seen between the BMIs of 1 year olds and their mothers, but the correlation was reduced for children aged 4 years old (Figure 6)
Summary
A tremendous number of studies have been reported especially the last couple of years on the relationship between sleep duration and obesity. Nielsen et al (2011) summarized the 71 recent original studies and seven reviews on the relationship between short sleep duration and obesity and concluded that the relationship is clear in young children and adolescents but not in adults. Nielsen et al (2011) summarized the 71 recent original studies and seven reviews on the relationship between short sleep duration and obesity and concluded that the relationship is clear in young children and adolescents but not in adults. The Council of Communications and Media, The Academy of American Pediatrics (2011) recently warned that children who watch TV late at night have a high risk of obesity, because they have higher-fat diets, drink more soda and have lower calorie expenditure from less exercise (O’Keeffe et al, 2011; Council of communications and media & The Academy of American Pediatrics, 2011). In a study on Australian children aged 5-10 years old, Taylor et al (2012) reported that, compared with children of normal weight, those who were overweight or obese were more likely to spend no time studying, spend more than 2 hours per day in screen-based activity and sleep less than 10 hours per night. In a study on Australian children aged 5-10 years old, Taylor et al (2012) reported that, compared with children of normal weight, those who were overweight or obese were more likely to spend no time studying, spend more than 2 hours per day in screen-based activity and sleep less than 10 hours per night. Lucassen et al (2013) recently reported that Eveningness was associated with eating later and a tendency towards fewer and larger meals and lower HDL cholesterol levels in US 119 participants aged 18-50 yrs
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