Sleep duration differences between children of migrant and native origins

L J W Labree,M Foets,H Van De Mheen,F F H Rutten,G Rodenburg,G T Koopmans

doi:10.1007/s10389-015-0665-8

Abstract

AimTo explore whether primary school children of migrant and native Dutch origins differ regarding their sleep duration per night, a risk for overweight and obesity, and to determine to what degree differences in parenting styles contribute to these differences.Subjects and methodsA cross-sectional survey, including 1,943 children aged 8-9 years old and their primary caregivers, was performed. Data were collected from primary schools in cities and adjacent municipalities in The Netherlands: Eindhoven and Rotterdam. The outcome measure was mean sleep duration per night. The main independent variable was migrant background, based on the country of birth of the parents. A possible mediating variable was parenting style (rejecting, neglecting, permissive, authoritarian, authoritative). Age and sex of the child as well as parental socioeconomic status, as indicated by educational level, were added as confounders.ResultsDutch children have the highest sleep duration: more than 11 h (mean = 670.1; SD = 27.7). All migrant children show less than 11 h of sleep per night. Migrant children of non-Western origin, especially Turkish and Moroccan children, show the lowest sleep duration per night. Parenting styles do not contribute to these differences.ConclusionMigrant background is associated with sleep duration. As children of migrant origin are, in general, at higher risk for overweight and obesity and sleep duration is regarded as a risk factor for overweight and obesity, further investigation of this association is needed.

Highlights

All over the world, the overweight and obesity epidemic has become an enormous threat for public health as a consequence of the severe impact on quality of life, morbidity and even mortality (Aranceta et al 2009; Nguyen and El-Serag 2010)
Childhood overweight may develop over time into adolescent obesity (Reilly et al 2011)
Factors that affect childhood overweight and obesity include lifestyle behaviors, which in turn are shaped by parenting practices

Summary

Introduction

The overweight and obesity epidemic has become an enormous threat for public health as a consequence of the severe impact on quality of life, morbidity and even mortality (Aranceta et al 2009; Nguyen and El-Serag 2010) Both obese adults and obese children may experience such negative consequences in the short or long run (Reilly and Kelly 2005). Factors that affect childhood overweight and obesity include lifestyle behaviors, which in turn are shaped by parenting practices. This study is a collaborative project between the Institute of Health Policy and Management, a department of the Erasmus University Rotterdam, and the IVO Addiction Research Institute. In this 4-year longitudinal project, factors in the obesogenic environment within the developmental trajectory of weight are studied.

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