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Sleep-related problems and eating habits during COVID-19 lockdown in a southern Brazilian youth sample

Abstract:

The pandemic has affected children's behaviors and this fact has an effect on their healthy habits, such as sleep and diet. The aim of the current study was to determinate the prevalence of sleep-related problems and its relationship with eating habits in children from the south of Brazil during the pandemic. Parents/legal guardians of 3–17 years old participants responded to a online survey distributed using the snowball sampling strategy in Brazil. The survey was conducted in April, 2020. Participants were asked for their sleep duration and sleep-related problems, as well as for their eating habits. Logistic regressions were performed to analyze the relationship between sleep-related problems and eating habits. 495 participants were included in the analysis. 48.8% of participants reported sleep-related problems with 12.3% not meeting the sleep guidelines. Moreover, participants reported eating fruits or vegetables and sweets over four and three per week, respectively. Different associations were found between varibles of sleep and eating habits. Those participants with healthy eating habits showed a lower prevalence of sleep-related problems.