Search

BackgroundThe Prevention of Overweight in Infancy (POI) randomized controlled trial assessed the effect of a more conventional food, physical activity, and breastfeeding intervention, with a more novel sleep intervention on weight outcomes at 2 years of age. The trial had 58% uptake at recruitment, and retention was 86% at age 2 years, 77% at age 3.5 years, and 69% at age 5 years. Children who received the brief sleep intervention in infancy had just half the risk of obesity at 2 years of age compared to those who did not receive the sleep intervention. Importantly, this substantially reduced risk was still apparent at our follow-up at 5 years of age. ObjectiveThe primary aim of this follow-up at age 11 years is to determine whether differences in BMI z-score and obesity risk remain apparent now that it is at least 9 years since cessation of the sleep intervention. Several secondary outcomes of interest will also be examined including 24-hour movement patterns, mental health and wellbeing, and use of electronic media, particularly prior to sleep. MethodsWe will seek renewed consent from all 734 of the original 802 POI families who expressed interest in further involvement. Children and parent(s) will attend 2 clinics and 1 home appointment to obtain measures of anthropometry and body composition (dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scan), 24-hour movement patterns (sleep, sedentary time, and physical activity measured using an AX3 accelerometer), mental health and wellbeing (validated questionnaires), family functioning (validated questionnaires), use of electronic media (wearable and stationary cameras, questionnaires), and diet and eating behaviors (24-hour recall, questionnaires). ResultsThis follow-up study has full ethical approval from the University of Otago Human Ethics Committee (H19/109) and was funded in May 2019 by the Health Research Council of New Zealand (grant 19/346). Data collection commenced in June 2020, and first results are expected to be submitted for publication in 2022. ConclusionsLong-term outcomes of early obesity intervention are rare. Despite the growing body of evidence linking insufficient sleep with an increased risk of obesity in children, interventions targeting improvements in sleep have been insufficiently explored. Our initial follow-up at 5 years of age suggested that an early sleep intervention may have long-term benefits for effective weight management in children. Further analysis in our now preteen population will provide much-needed evidence regarding the long-term effectiveness of sleep interventions in infancy as an obesity prevention approach. Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT00892983; https://tinyurl.com/y3xepvxf International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/24968

Background: Although evening screen time is thought to impair subsequent sleep, current measures are limited to questionnaires which seem unlikely to accurately assess screen time in youth. Given the ubiquitous nature of digital devices, improving measurement of screen time is required before related health effects can be appropriately determined. The aim of this study was to objectively quantify screen time before sleep using video camera footage. Methods: This repeated-measures observational study in healthy adolescents (11–14 years) from Dunedin, New Zealand measured screen time on four evenings over one week in the home environment from March-December 2021. Wearable and stationary PatrolEyes video cameras captured screen time from two hours before bedtime until sleep and manually coded for device type (phone, tablet, laptop computer, desktop computer, handheld gaming console, gaming console, television and other) and screen activity (watching, listening, reading, educational/creative, browsing, communication, social media, video gaming, multitasking) using a reliable coding schedule (κ ≥ 0.8). Descriptive findings are reported. Findings: Among the 83 participants (mean 12.3 [SD 1.0] years, 42% female, 52% New Zealand European, 37% Māori [indigenous]), 82 used screens in the two hours before bed on 308 of 344 (90%) nights for a mean of 54.4 min (SD 25.5). Televisions (median 37 min, 56% of nights), phones (19 min, 64% nights), and multitasking using multiple devices (19 min, 48% nights) were most commonly used (> 75% of adolescents). Once in bed but before trying to sleep, 58% of adolescents engaged in screen time for 17 (26.3) minutes on 36% of nights. The most common screen activities were watching (32.5%), social media (26.5%) and communication (20.5%). Even after attempting sleep, 32.5% of participants used screens for 8.0 min (median) on 16% of nights, mostly listening on phones. Conclusions: Objective video cameras offer detailed insight into evening screen habits, capturing frequency, content, and duration. Youth frequently engage with screens before bed and throughout the night on a range of activities, despite recommendations to restrict screen time prior to sleep. Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (anzctr.org.au), AACTRN12621000193875, Registered 23 February 2021, https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=380926&isReview=true. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Author(s): Anne-Louise M. Heath [sup.1] [sup.2], Jillian J. Haszard [sup.1], Barbara C. Galland [sup.3], Blair Lawley [sup.4], Nancy J. Rehrer [sup.5], Lynley N. Drummond [sup.6], Ian M. Sims [sup.2] [sup.7], [...], The gut microbiota harvests energy from indigestible plant polysaccharides, forming short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that are absorbed from the bowel. SCFAs provide energy--presumably after easily digested food components have been absorbed from the small intestine. Infant night waking is believed by many parents to be due to hunger. Our objective was to determine whether faecal SCFAs are associated with longer uninterrupted sleep in infants. Infants (n = 57) provided faecal samples for determining SCFAs (7 months of age), and questionnaire data for determining infant sleep (7 and 8 months). Linear regression determined associations between SCFAs--faecal acetate, propionate and butyrate--and sleep. For each 1% higher propionate at 7 months of age, the longest night sleep was 6 (95% CI: 1, 10) minutes longer at both 7 and 8 months. A higher proportion of total faecal SCFA as propionate was associated with longer uninterrupted infant sleep.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine which growth indicator (weight, weight‐for‐length, BMI) and time frame (6‐ or 12‐month intervals between 0 and 24 months) of rapid infant weight gain (RIWG) best predicted obesity risk and body composition at 11 years of age. Methods: RIWG (increase ≥0.67 z scores between two time points) was calculated from weight and length/height at birth, 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 years. The predictive value of each measure and time frame was calculated in relation to obesity (BMI ≥95th percentile) and body fat (fat mass index [FMI], dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry scan) at 11 years. Results: The sensitivity (1.5% to 62.1%) and positive predictive value (12.5% to 33.3%) of RIWG to predict obesity varied considerably. Having obesity at any time point appeared a stronger risk factor than any indicator of RIWG for obesity at 11 years. Obesity at any age during infancy consistently predicted a greater FMI of around 1.1 to 1.5 kg/m2 at 11 years, whereas differences for RIWG were inconsistent. Conclusions: A simple measure of obesity status at a single time point between 6 and 24 months of age appeared a stronger risk factor for later obesity and FMI than RIWG assessed by any indicator, over any time frame. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]