R01HL163859

Sleep and obesity in toddlers from Mexican American families - project summary/abstract

By the age of 3 years, Latino children are disproportionately affected by deficient sleep (short sleep duration, poorly timed sleep) and obesity. However, few studies have considered predictors of deficient sleep and its relationship with the disparate prevalence of early childhood obesity, specifically in toddlers (12 to 39 months) from Mexican American families.

Because sleep is influenced by many different factors, this study will be one of the first to evaluate socioecological predictors, including environmental (e.g., societal, neighborhood, household), sociocultural (e.g., acculturation, beliefs), and parental factors (e.g., sleep-related parenting practices) in this population.

While the relationship between deficient sleep and obesity has been found in children and adolescents, research with toddlers is limited by a lack of long-term studies and the use of parent report of child sleep (instead of an objective measure of sleep). Further, toddlers from Mexican American families are underrepresented in this research, despite being one of the largest growing ethnic minority populations in the U.S.

The proposed study will address these knowledge gaps, answering critical questions about how different factors impact toddler sleep, and in turn whether toddler sleep contributes to the disparate prevalence of obesity in toddlers from Mexican American families.

We have brought together a multidisciplinary team with substantial expertise in pediatric sleep, obesity, and socioecological contributors to health behaviors to (1) identify environmental, sociocultural, and parental factors contributing to deficient sleep, and (2) determine the relationship between sleep and weight status over a 2-year period in toddlers from Mexican American families.

In order to ensure culturally-relevant measurement, we will use qualitative methods (focus groups) with Mexican American parents to adapt measures of parental sleep beliefs and sleep-related parenting practices as needed.

We will then enroll 380 Mexican American families (mothers, fathers, other primary caregivers residing in the home) with 12 to 15-month-old children living in a large metropolitan area to participate in 3 annual assessments. At each assessment, questionnaire and anthropometric data will be collected, and parent and toddler sleep will be measured by 7 consecutive days/nights of actigraphy (a wrist-watch sized device that objectively measures sleep).

This innovative study will provide an in-depth evaluation of the ecology in which parent and toddler sleep are embedded, and the relationship of sleep with toddler weight status in the target population. To ensure the child's entire family system is considered, mothers, fathers, and other primary caregivers in the home will be included.

Altogether, study findings will contribute to the future development of family-focused, culturally-tailored, and contextually-informed early prevention programs focused on sleep and weight status in this underserved population.

This study is a critical next step toward reducing health disparities and improving health outcomes among toddlers from Mexican American families.

The Regents Of The Univ. Of Colorado

THE NATIONAL CENTER ON SLEEP DISORDERS RESEARCH (NCSDR) SUPPORTS RESEARCH AND RESEARCH TRAINING RELATED TO SLEEP DISORDERED BREATHING, AND THE FUNDAMENTAL FUNCTIONS OF SLEEP AND CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS. THE CENTER ALSO STEWARDS SEVERAL FORUMS THAT FACILITATE THE COORDINATION OF SLEEP RESEARCH ACROSS NIH, OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES AND OUTSIDE ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING THE SLEEP DISORDERS RESEARCH ADVISORY BOARD AND AN NIH-WIDE SLEEP RESEARCH COORDINATING COMMITTEE. THE CENTER ALSO PARTICIPATES IN THE TRANSLATION OF NEW SLEEP RESEARCH FINDINGS FOR DISSEMINATION TO HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS AND THE PUBLIC. SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) PROGRAM: TO STIMULATE TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION, USE SMALL BUSINESS TO MEET FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT NEEDS, FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION IN INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP BY SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED PERSONS, AND INCREASE PRIVATE-SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FUNDING. SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) PROGRAM: TO STIMULATE TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION, FOSTER TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER THROUGH COOPERATIVE R&D BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESSES AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, AND INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL R&D.

93.837 - Cardiovascular Diseases Research

National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) [HHS - NIH]

Aurora, Colorado 800457464 United States

Single Zip Code

Mechanisms and Consequences of Sleep Disparities in the U.S. (R01 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (PAR-20-164)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 305% from $776,150 to $3,140,583.