Short sleep and obesity risk in children

Abstract

Accumulating evidence suggests that short sleep is associated with both concurrent and prospective obesity risk in children. Although recent studies point to potential mediators and moderators of the sleep weight association in children, it is unclear whether enhancing children's sleep duration could significantly impact weight status. The present chapter reviews the existing literature on sleep and obesity risk in children, and highlights areas in need of additional work in an effort to determine whether enhancing children's sleep will help to combat the current obesity epidemic.