Correlation Of Physical Activity And Sleep In Pre-adolescent Latina Girls

Pre-adolescence is a crucial period of rapid physical and psychological changes. Health behaviors such as physical activity (i.e., moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA)) and sleep (i.e., sleep quality and duration) have been reported to positively impact adolescent health. In mostly Caucasian children, regular physical activity (PA) has been shown to improve sleep quality. However, very little is known about the relationship between PA and sleep in pre-adolescent Latinx girls. In addition, in recent years, both PA levels and sleep duration have been decreasing in Latinx children. PURPOSE: To examine the correlation between PA and sleep variables in pre-adolescent Latina girls. Methods: This secondary analysis uses baseline data from the Girl Dash Study, which examined the preliminary efficacy of a 12-week culturally tailored PA and sleep hygiene education intervention on PA and sleep in 7-12-year-old Latinx girls. Participants' PA and sleep were assessed using accelerometers. Only participants (n = 23) with both PA and sleep data were included in this secondary data analysis. Correlation analysis was conducted to examine the association between sleep (sleep quality and total sleep time) and PA (percent time spent in light PA and MVPA) variables. Results: There was no significant correlation between participant percent of time spent in light PA and total sleep time (r = 0.017, p = 0.937) or with sleep quality (r = 0.119, p = 0.589). In addition, there was no significant correlation between participants' percent of time spent in MVPA and sleep quality (r = -0.158, p = 0.470) or with total sleep time (r = -0.100, p = 0.649). Conclusion: The lack of correlation between the sleep and PA variables of interest could be due to a small sample size. Further studies are needed to fully understand the potential association between PA and sleep and if PA intervention could be utilized to improve sleep in pre-adolescent Latinx girls.