Oral

More than one in four adults in the U.S. reports not getting enough sleep. Findings from the 2006 Sleep in America Poll indicate that over 60% of high school students reported getting less than the recommended eight hours of sleep on school nights. Insufficient sleep is associated with several health problems including obesity, depression, and adverse health behaviors such as physical inactivity, cigarette smoking, and excessive drinking. Insufficient sleep is also associated with substantial injury and disability each year as a result of motor vehicle and machinery-related accidents. This session will discuss the association between duration of sleep and weight loss practices among adolescents, risk factors associated with insufficient sleep among adolescents, how the presence of children in the household impact sleep sufficiency in parents, the impact and importance of school start time policies

Session Objectives: • Describe the association between short sleep duration and weight-loss behaviors of adolescents • Discuss the relationship between household demographics and sleep insufficiency • Describe the risk factors associated with insufficient sleep among adolescents • Identify various policy challenges and solutions to improve sleep among high-school students • Discuss how later high-school start time policy changes could lead to better health and academic performance of high-school students.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH)