Recent studies have linked child and teen obesity to sleep problems, reduced quality of life, and higher rates of breathing complications during surgeries. One study from St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia found that obese children between the ages of 8 and 12 had "poorer scores for sleep onset delay, sleep-disordered breathing, sleep duration, and daytime sleepiness, compared to children who were overweight or healthy weight."
The same obese children consistently reported lower overall scores for psychosocial factors and total quality of life. Kelly Ann Davis, lead researcher, commented, "In this study, sleep and weight each contributed unique variance for quality of life scores, thus indicating the need to evaluate daytime functioning in children with both obesity and sleep problems."
Research has shown that obesity increases a child's risk of developing OSA, or obstructive sleep apnea. This sleep-related breathing disorder actually causes the child to stop breathing for periods of time while sleeping. Although OSA mainly disrupts sleep, it is serious and can be fatal if left untreated.
A second study, released in 2008 by the University of Michigan Healthy System, found a significant correlation between childhood obesity and breathing complications during surgery. Obese children were more likely to experience "difficult mask ventilation, airway obstruction, major oxygen desaturation (a decrease in oxygen in the patient's blood), and other airway problems."
Labels: sleep, side-effects, quality_of_life
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