By Kaitlin Fochesato, The Columbus Dispatch
COLUMBUS – Here’s another reason to tuck your young children into bed early: it might help lower the risk of obesity during their teenage years.
Ohio State University College of Public Health researchers say early bedtimes are an integral part of developing healthy behaviors that can last a lifetime.
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Sarah Anderson, an associate professor of epidemiology and lead author of the study, said poor sleep, especially not getting enough, is a known risk for obesity.
However, this new research published in the Journal of Pediatrics is the first to utilize data collected over a 10-year period. What it found is clear, Anderson said: Bedtimes after 9 p.m. doubled the risk for obesity when those children were in high school.
The research was based on data from something called the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, which was started 25 years ago and was funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Sarah Friedman, the lead architect of the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, said it was conceived during a meeting of researchers from the National Academy of Sciences.
Friedman, now a research professor in developmental psychology at George Washington University, said she and others sought to provide a panoramic view of health, growth and psychological development from more than 1,300 children over a 10-year period.
She remained scientific manager of the project until 2006. The study is still regarded as one of the most comprehensive in the field of child development.