Major dietary patterns and sleep quality in relation to overweight/obesity among school children: A case-control study

Childhood overweight/obesity is increasing worldwide. There is evidence on the role of dietary patterns (DPs) and sleep quality on body weight in adults, but studies on the association of major DPs, sleep quality and overweight/obesity among school-age children are scarce, so the present study was done to shade a light on the subject.

This study was a case-control study, conducted on school-age (7-13 years) children. Cases were healthy children who had a body mass index (BMI) percentile of≥85th for age and sex (n=102). Sex-matched children with a BMI percentile between 5th and 85th were considered as control group (n=102). Dietary data were collected using a validated 168-item food frequency questionnaire. Sleep quality was assessed by Pittsburgh sleep quality index. Binary logistic regression was used to assess the association between DPs, sleep quality, and overweight/obesity.

Three DPs were identified: “Low-energy healthy”, “High-energy healthy” and “Unhealthy diet”. Adherence to the first and second DPs was associated with 51%-62% lower odds of overweight/obesity (Odds ratio [OR]: 0.49, 95% CI: 0.24-0.97, and 0.38, 95% CI: 0.15-0.94, respectively, P<0.050). However, we found no significant association for the third DP with overweight/obesity. Furthermore, there was no significant association between sleep quality/duration and overweight/obesity. The interactions of DPs and sleep quality/duration with overweight/obesity were not significant.

Eating a diet high in white meats, eggs, vegetables, fruits and juices, nuts, dairy products, whole grains, and low in refined grains and snacks is associated with a lower likelihood of overweight/obesity in children. This inverse association does not depend on sleep quality/duration.