Associations between Sleep Habits, Body Mass Index and Cognitive Function among Adolescents Aged 10–14 Years in Selangor, Malaysia

• Published in: Annals of nutrition and metabolism 2019-01, Vol.75, p.111
• Main Authors: Tung, SEH, Soon, YC, Koh, CH, Chong, PN, Zubaidah, JO, Chin, YS
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescents; Body mass index; Body size; Body weight; Children; Childrens health; Cognition; Cognitive ability; Habits; Intelligence; Nutrition; Obesity; Overweight; Pediatrics; Sleep and wakefulness; Sleep deprivation; Sleep disorders; Teenagers
• ISSN: 0250-6807; 1421-9697
• DOI: 10.1159/000501751

Background/Aims: While the relationship between poor sleep habits has been linked to overweight and obesity, much less research has been done relating sleep habits with cognition in children and adolescents. Hence, this study aimed to determine the associations between sleep habits, BMI-for-age and cognitive function among adolescents in Selangor, Malaysia. Methods: A total of 218 adolescents aged 10–14 years participated in this crosssectional study. Body weight and height of the respondents were measured, and BMI-for-age was calculated. Sleep habits and cognitive function (Full IQ) were assessed using the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) and Wechsler's Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV). Results: A total of 17.4% of the adolescents were overweight and 11.5% were obese. Less than one third (26.1%) of the adolescents meet the recommended sleep duration of 9–11 hours per day. The mean sleep duration, bedtime and waking time were 7.96 ± 1.18 hours per day, 10.27 ± 3.14 PM and 6:26 ± 1:17 AM respectively. Sleep-disordered breathing (t = 3.988; p < 0.001) was found to be significantly different between male and female adolescents. A negative relationship was found between bedtime resistance (r = –0.136; p = 0.045) and sleep anxiety (r = –0.135; p = 0.047) with BMI. Similarly, a negative relationship was found between bedtime resistance (r = –0.169; p = 0.012) and sleep disorder score (r = –0.146; p = 0.031) with Full IQ. Conclusion: These data suggests that sleep disorder is associated with increased BMI and poorer cognitive scores. This indicates the importance of good sleep habits for better weight management and cognitive performance among adolescents. Further studies are needed to better understand the underlying mechanism of these relationships.