Sleep duration is associated with metabolic syndrome in adolescents and children: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Study Objectives: Studies on the associations between sleep duration and metabolic syndrome in adolescents and children have reported mixed results. To shed more light on this issue, we conducted this meta-analysis by synthesizing the results of previous studies. Methods: Studies were retrieved from PubMed, Ovid, Cochrane, and Embase from inception to October 2021. Fixed-effects models and random-effects models were used to analyze the effects of sleep time on metabolic syndrome in adolescents. Results: Data from 7 studies, including 13,305 adolescents and children, were meta-analyzed. Compared with the control group, short sleep durations were not associated with a high prevalence of metabolic syndrome in adolescents and children using a random-effects model (odds ratio = 0.92, 95% confidence interval = 0.48–1.37, I2 = 56.5%, P = .378). Using a fixed-effects model on long sleep duration, this association was statistically significant (odds ratio = 0.57, 95% confidence interval = 0.38–0.76, I2 = 0.0%, P < .001) as a protective factor compared with shorter sleep duration. Conclusions: Long sleep duration, instead of short sleep duration, was significantly associated with a lower prevalence of metabolic syndrome among adolescents and children.