Association of problem behavior with sleep problems and gastroesophageal reflux symptoms

BACKGROUND: There are few large-scale epidemiologic studies examining the associations between sleep problems, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms, lifestyle and food habits and problem behaviors in adolescents. The objective of this study was to evaluate the associations among these factors in Japanese adolescents. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional survey of 1,840 junior high school students using questionnaires. The subjects were classified into problem behavior (PB) or normal behavior (NB) groups by using the Pediatric Symptom Checklist. The scores of the sleep-related factors, sleep bruxism, lifestyle and food habits, and GERD symptoms were compared. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the factors related to problem behaviors. RESULTS: The mean age was 13.3 ± 1.8 years. The PB group had significantly longer sleep latency and higher scores of GERD symptoms (P Language: en