Researchers at the University of Queensland say consuming too much junk food may be associated with sleep problems in adolescents. Their results were published in EClinicalMedicine.
The study, according to researchers, is the first of its kind to thoroughly assess unhealthy dietary habits and stress-related sleep problems among adolescent students in grade school, from numerous nations.
To assess dietary habits and sleep disturbances, researchers gathered data from the World Health Organization’s Global School-based Health Surveys conducted throughout the first half of the 2010s, from 2009 through 2016.
It involved more than 170,000 students. Students residing in Asian, African, Latin American, and Eastern Mediterranean nations took part.
The research unveiled that children residing in environments with high socioeconomic status were more prone to excessive consumption of soft drinks and subsequent sleep problems.
Female students were also considered to be highly prevalent with this association.
For researchers, the resolution may be to limit access to soft drinks and fast foods or implement a sugar tax to reduce the sales of soft drinks. Additionally, family intervention could yield beneficiary results when it comes to healthy eating.
“Creating school environments to limit access to carbonated soft drinks and fast foods, and introducing a sugar tax to lessen the sales of soft drinks may be beneficial,” researchers stated.
“Family can also be instrumental in promoting healthy eating as the adoption and maintenance of children’s dietary behaviors are influenced by their familial environments.”