Impact of Short Sleep Duration on the Incidence of Obesity and Overweight among Children and Adolescents

Background and Objectives: The prevalence of obesity among children is increasing and is highlighting many problems. Lack of sleep is common among children and adolescents. Although several studies have investigated sleep duration and overweight and obesity from a sex perspective, data regarding age and sex effects remain limited and inconclusive. This study aimed to evaluate the risk(s) for overweight or obesity according to sleep duration among children and adolescents; to evaluate the effect of short sleep duration on the incidence of overweight/obesity among children and adolescents; and to evaluate sex differences in the risk of overweight or obesity with shorter sleep durations. Materials and Methods: The PubMed database was searched for relevant studies published up to June 30, 2021. Odds ratios for obesity/overweight were estimated for short compared with long sleep duration. Subgroup analysis based on sleep duration, sex, and study location was also performed. Results: The estimated odds ratio for combined obesity and overweight was 1.171 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.092–1.256) according to short sleep duration. Obesity/overweight with short sleep duration was significantly prevalent in the <6 and 6–10 years’ subgroups (odds ratio 1.226 (95% CI 1.083–1.387) and 1.341 (95% CI 1.175–1.530), respectively). Among boys, short sleep duration was significantly correlated with a high occurrence of obesity/overweight (odds ratio 1.294 (95% CI 1.153–1.452)); no such correlation was found among girls. Conclusions: Short sleep duration may increase risk of obesity among children and adolescents, especially those <6 and 6–10 years of age. In the subgroup analysis, the incidence of obesity/overweight for short sleep time revealed significant results among Asians and boys.