The Association of FNPA Score and Nighttime Sleep with Preschooler Body Size and Adiposity

Abstract

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the cross-sectional associations between characteristics of preschoolers’ home environment and sleep habits with body size and adiposity. METHODS: Parents of 2-5 year-old children completed the Family Nutrition Physical Activity (FNPA) tool and Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CHSQ). Child height and weight were determined according to standard procedures and BMI percentile was determined using the 2000 CDC growth charts. Adiposity was assessed using skinfold thicknesses (tricep, subscapular, suprailiac) and sum of skinfolds was calculated. RESULTS: To date, 19 children (10 boys, 9 girls; mean age 3.1 ± 0.9 y) have participated in the study. Boys and girls did not differ in terms of any anthropometric variables; therefore, analyses are not divided by sex. Twenty-one percent of the sample (n=4) met criteria for overweight or obesity based on BMI percentile. Correlations between anthropometric variables and the FNPA total score did not reach statistical significance. Nap duration tended to be inversely related to BMI percentile (r=-0.51, p=0.06) and z-score (r=-0.50, p=0.07). The FNPA total score was strongly correlated with total daily sleep (r=0.88, p&lt0.0001), indicating that children who live in generally healthy family environments are more likely to demonstrate healthy sleep habits. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first study to use the FNPA as a measure of the family environment in a preschool-aged sample. Our results suggest that sleep characteristics may be associated with the family environment and adiposity in preschoolers; however, additional research with larger sample sizes is necessary to confirm these findings.