Short duration of sleep and incidence of overweight or obesity in Chinese children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies

Abstract

Background and aimsOverweight and obesity in children have become a global public health problem. Epidemiological studies suggest that sleep duration may contribute to the incidence of overweight and obesity in all stages of life. China has an increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity, and sleep deprivation is common among Chinese children. The aim of this study was to assess the prospective relationship between short sleep duration and overweight or obesity in Chinese children and to gain an estimate of the risk. Methods and resultsA systematic search was performed on 28/04/2020 by using Medline, PubMed and Web of Science. The exposure was the duration of sleep, and the outcome measure the incidence of overweight or obesity. The odds ratios (OR) and hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (C.I.) were extracted to calculate the pooled relative risk (RR) by a random effect model. Heterogeneity and publication bias of the studies were checked by sensitivity analysis. Seven studies fulfilled the criteria for a systematic review, and 5 studies for a meta-analysis. The total of 33,206 participants included boys and girls, aged 6–17 years old. In Chinese children the pooled RR for short sleep duration and overweight or obesity combined was 1.47 (95% C.I. 1.26, 1.71, p < 0.00001, n = 32,607), and for obesity alone 1.40 (95% C.I. 1.01, 1.95, p = 0.04, n = 17,038). There was no significant heterogeneity or publication bias between studies. ConclusionShort sleep duration is associated with the development of overweight and obesity in Chinese children.