Abstract Study ObjectiveWe investigated sleep disparities and academic achievement in college. MethodsParticipants were 6,002 first-year college students attending a midsize private university in the southern United States [62.0% female, 18.8% first-generation, 37.4% Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC) students]. During the first 3–5 weeks of college, students reported their typical weekday sleep duration, which we classified as short sleep (<7 hours), normal sleep (7–9 hours), or long sleep (>9 hours). ResultsThe odds for short sleep were significantly greater in BIPOC students (95% CI: 1.34–1.66) and female students (95% CI: 1.09–1.35), and the odds for long sleep were greater in BIPOC students (95% CI: 1.38–3.08) and first-generation students (95% CI: 1.04–2.53). In adjusted models, financial burden, employment, stress, STEM academic major, student athlete status, and younger age explained unique variance in sleep duration, fully mediating disparities for females and first-generation students (but only partially mediating disparities for BIPOC students). Short and long sleep predicted worse GPA across students’ first year in college, even after controlling for high school academic index, demographics, and psychosocial variables. ConclusionsHigher education should address sleep health early in college to help remove barriers to success and reduce disparities.
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Validation of the Entrainment Signal Regularity Index and associations with children's changes in BMI
<sc>A</sc>bstract ObjectiveThis study examined the validity of a novel metric of circadian health, the Entrainment Signal Regularity Index (ESRI), and its relationship to changes in BMI during the school year and summer. MethodsIn a longitudinal observational data set, this study examined the relationship between ESRI score and children's (n = 119, 5‐ to 8‐year‐olds) sleep and physical activity levels during the school year and summer, differences in ESRI score during the school year and summer, and the association of ESRI score during the school year and summer with changes in BMI across those time periods. ResultsThe ESRI score was higher during the school year (0.70 ± 0.10) compared with summer (0.63 ± 0.11);t(111) = 5.484,p < 0.001. Whereas the ESRI score at the beginning of the school year did not significantly predict BMI change during the school year (β = 0.05 ± 0.09 SE,p = 0.57), having a higher ESRI score during summer predicted smaller increases in BMI during summer (β = −0.22 ± 0.10 SE,p = 0.03). ConclusionsOverall, children demonstrated higher entrainment regularity during the school year compared with the summer. During summer, having a higher entrainment signal was associated with smaller changes in summertime BMI. This effect was independent of the effects of children's sleep midpoint, sleep regularity, and physical activity on children's BMI.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1853506
- PAR ID:
- 10398214
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Obesity
- Volume:
- 31
- Issue:
- 3
- ISSN:
- 1930-7381
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- p. 642-651
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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