Weight status of young children: Exploring the relationship with sleep and light exposure

The problem of paediatric obesity remains significant. This study investigated the potential influence of two environmental mechanisms proposed to affect children's weight status, sleep and light exposure. Collectively this body of research has made significant contributions to current understanding of child weight status in three ways: 1) documentation of current methodologies used to classify body mass in young children; 2) adding to understanding of the potential role of sleep parameters for child weight; and 3) the first documentation of the significant influence of environmental light exposure on the weight of preschool aged children. This study elucidates new directions for intervention.