(P16-014-25) The Rhythm of the Night: Associations Between Food Insecurity and Infant Overnight Sleep and Soothing Habits in a Low-income Latino Population

Objectives: One in six children in the U.S. lives in a household experiencing food insecurity (FI); rates for Latino children are twice as high. Child FI is associated with changes in child sleep, increasing odds of poor sleep quality as well as decreased sleep duration; but it is unknown whether infant sleep is affected by FI, such as through night wakings or feeding to soothe at night. This is critical to evaluate as both FI and sleep are associated with early life obesity; soothing habits related to food security status may create persistent sleep associations. This study evaluated food security status and sleep behaviors in a low-income Latino population.

Methods: 110 Latino caregiver-infant dyads were enrolled in two separate prospective studies on infant behaviors and growth at large FQHCs in Austin, TX at age 2 months (n=63) or 5-6 months (n=87). The U.S. Household Food Security Scale and Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire were completed at age 2 months or 5-6 months. Student’s t-test was used to explore continuous variables of FI vs. hours of nighttime sleep; chi square test examined the association between FI and feeding to fall asleep.

Results: Over one-third of participants reported FI at each time point. Infants had an average of 8.20 hours of nighttime sleep (7 PM-7AM) at 2 months and 8.93 hours of nighttime sleep at 5-6 months; 51% (2 months) and 59% (5-6months) did not meet recommended hours of night sleep (9 hours for 2 months; 10 hours for 5-6 months); 33% reported feeding to sleep at 2 months vs. 51% at 5-6 months age. Household FI was not associated with hours of overnight sleep at 2 months (p=0.52), or 5-6 months (p=0.25). FI was not associated with feeding to sleep behavior at 2 months (p=0.70), or 5-6 months (p=0.19).

Conclusions: FI was not associated with shorter infant sleep duration at 2 months or 5-6 months, although a majority of infants studied were not meeting recommended nighttime sleep guidelines. FI was also not associated with feeding to sleep behavior at 2 months or 5-6 months, although a majority of infants were feeding to sleep at 5-6 months, indicating an area for intervention as infants develop sleep habits. FI may be an independent factor for early life obesity risk, and less of a moderating factor through poor sleep in infancy; this relationship deserves further study.

Funding Sources: American Diabetes Association, National Cattlemen's Beef Association, Egg Nutrition Center