Naturalistic, multimethod exploratory study of sleep duration and quality as predictors of dysregulated eating in youth with overweight and obesity

Although poor sleep has been found to adversely impact eating and weight regulation in youth, past research is limited by retrospective reporting and/or non-naturalistic designs. We investigated the feasibility of combining three momentary, ecologically valid approaches to assessing sleep and eating behavior, and associations between these constructs, among youth (aged 8-14y) with overweight/obesity (n = 40). Participants completed 14 overlapping days of actigraphy assessment and smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) of eating behavior, of which 3 days also included computerized, self-guided 24-h dietary recall. Feasibility of completing measures concurrently was evaluated by generating frequencies of compliance. Associations between sleep indices and next-day eating behavior were examined via generalized estimating equations. Of 29 participants who provided EMA and 24-h recall data that aligned with previous night actigraphy data, both EMA and sleep data were available on an average of 8.6 out of 14 possible days, and both 24-h recall and sleep data on an average of 2.7 out of 3 possible days. Each additional hour of sleep was associated with consuming fewer calories from solid fats, alcohol, and added sugars (b = 0.70; p =.04). Combining naturalistic, momentary assessments of sleep and eating behavior appears to be acceptable in youth. Larger experimental studies are needed to further understand associations between sleep parameters and eating behavior.