ABSTRACT
Education regarding healthy diet, engaging in physical activity, limiting screen time, and appropriate sleep hygiene is encouraged for both the family and the children. Chronic short sleep patterns are becoming an important issue in all age groups. The National Sleep Foundation recently reported that children and adolescents are sleeping for less than the amount recommended, leading to a chronic state of sleep deprivation. The association between short sleep duration and obesity/adiposity has been well documented, with the majority of studies using self-report measured sleep and a cross-sectional design. While research is limited in youth, irregular timing of meals and meal frequency has been linked to poor health consequences in adults, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and obesity. Obesogenic growth trajectories have been observed as early as age five, and obese children are four times more likely to be overweight or obese as adults compared to normal-weight children.
