Caffeine and screen time in adolescence: Associations with short sleep and obesity

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the associations between sleep duration and obesity incidence and risk factors among preadolescents and adolescents. Design: Cross-sectional study of a community based cohort Setting: The Tucson Children's Assessment of Sleep Apnea follow-up study (TuCASA) cohort. Participants: 319 Caucasian and Hispanics between 10-17 years. Main Outcome: Parent-reported sleep duration and BMI zscore. Outcome Measures: Surveys of electronic screen time, dietary and caffeine intake, exercise and sleep habits by parents, and anthropometric measures. Results: Parent-reported total sleep time (TST) was inversely associated with BMI z-score, but not signifi cantly correlated with any of the examined nutritional variables or exercise components. Hispanic ethnicity was associated with signifi cantly lower parent-reported TST and higher BMI z-score. Parentreported TST was inversely related to electronic screen time and caffeine use, but these fi ndings were differentially related to age. Caffeine consumption was associated with decreasing parent-reported TST primarily in older adolescents. Electronic screen time was associated with lower parent-reported TST in Younger adolescents. Conclusions: Hispanic ethnicity and parental reports of TST were found to be the most closely associated with BMI z-score. Decreased TST and increased caffeine intake and screen time may result in higher obesity risk in the adolescent population.