Information on the relationship between sleep duration and obesity among children in urban Guangzhou, China is limited. This study aims to examine the relationship between sleep duration and obesity in children aged 6–18 years. The sample consisted of 11,830 children aged 6–18 years. The children were randomly selected from 13 schools in three urban districts of Guangzhou. The study was conducted from September to November 2013. The height and weight of the children were measured. Adiposity status was estimated using body mass index and according to the cut point in China criteria. In the structured questionnaire, children reported daily sleep hours (less than 7 h, 7–9 h and more than 9 h), weekly food intake amount (including vegetables, fruit, sugar beverages and meat), physical activity and sedentary time. A caretaker would answer the questionnaire on behalf of a child aged below nine. A total of 8,760 children (49.0 % boys) completed the study. The prevalence of obesity was 8.4 % (9.8 % in boys and 5.7 % in girls). Adjusted for age, diet and physical activity/sedentary behaviour, the odds ratio (OR) for obesity comparing sleeping <7 h (short sleep duration, SSD) with ≥9 h (long sleep duration, LSD) was 0.70 (95 % CI: 0.69–0.72) among boys and 1.73 (95 % CI: 1.71–1.74) among girls. Stratified by age, OR for boys aged 6–12 years comparing SSD with LSD was 0.60 (95 % CI: 0.55–0.66); by contrast, OR was 1.33 (95 % CI: 1.30–1.37) for boys aged 13–18 years. Short sleep duration is associated with increased chances of obesity among girls and 13- to 18-year-old boys, but the chances of obesity are decreased among 6- to 12-year-old boys. Age and gender should be regarded as specific characteristics for the effects of short sleep on obesity.

Background: Motor coordination difficulties could contribute to social communication deficits in autistic children. However, the exploration of the mechanism implicated in these claims has been limited by the lack of potential confounders such as executive function (EF).Methods: We investigated the role that EF plays in the relationship between motor coordination and social communication in a school-aged autistic population via a structural model in a statistically robust manner. The results of questionnaires, including the Developmental Coordination Disorder questionnaire, the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, and the Social Responsiveness Scale, were collected to measure motor coordination, social communication deficits, and EF.Results: A total of 182 autistic children (7.61±1.31 years, 87.9% boys) were included in the final analysis. In the model with EF as a mediator, the total effect (β=-0.599, P<0.001) and the direct effect (β=-0.331, P =0.003) of motor coordination function on social communication were both significant among autistic children without intellectual disability (ID), as were indirect effects through EF (β=-0.268, P<0.001).Conclusion: EF partially mediates the motor coordination and social communication correlation among autistic children. We suggest that motor coordination should be included in the routine evaluation of autistic surveillance and rehabilitation procedures.

Objective: To examine the association of socioeconomic status with the motor coordination impairment (probable DCD) of autism in a Chinese population. Methods: Using cross-sectional data from the south region of China, 2020-2021, per capita family income, maternal education, and whether the only child was included as the indicators of socioeconomic status, motor coordination function was evaluated by the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ). We included 165 autistic children aged 2–12 years in the final analysis, among whom 88 were classified as probable DCD. Results: After adjusting for covariates, the odds ratios for probable DCD among autistic children whose per capital family income was below 5000 yuan (OR: 4.77, 95% CI: 1.71-13.30) or 5000–8000 yuan (OR: 3.62, 95% CI: 1.36-9.61) per month were significantly higher than children whose per capital family income above 8000 yuan per month. Mothers without a college degree showed a decreased likelihood of probable DCD (OR: 0.33, 95%CI: 0.15-0.71). Conclusion: Low income of a family is associated with a higher risk of probable DCD among autism children. The linkage between higher education of the mother and probable DCD could be attributed to more grandparenting among these families. This is the first research exploring the association between socio-demographic factors and the motor coordination function of autism. It comes from a set of low/middle-income countries with limited sources of autism in the Asian area, and comprehensive SES factors are considered. We recommend more support to autism children from low-income families, especially motor-related intervention.

Background: Motor coordination impairment among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has recently gained increasing attention. However, the relationship between functional connectivity (FC) alterations and motor coordination impairment among ASD remains inconclusive. Methods: We evaluated motor coordination function using the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ) and acquired resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scans from 23 autistic individuals and 25 typically developing (TD) controls (6–10 years old). Within- and between-network FC was estimated using group independent component analysis (ICA) and group comparison was addressed using two-sample t-tests. Relationships between abnormal FC and motor coordination among ASD were investigated with multiple linear regression, with age, gender, and intelligence quotient (IQ) considered as covariates. Results: In the ASD group, 1) FC within the right cerebellar crus II was negatively correlated to the score of general coordination ( β = −.566, p = 0.035) and control during movement ( β = −0.529, p = 0.026); 2) FC between the cerebellar network and frontal-temporal-parietal network was negatively correlated to the score of general coordination ( β = −2.610, p = 0.006); 3) Increased FC between the cerebellar network and insular network was associated with a higher score of fine motor/handwriting ( β = −0.529, p = 0.026). Conclusions: We confirmed the role of the insular network in interoception and motor processing among ASD, which was related to impaired information integrating, relaying, and visual feedback during movement. A significant relationship between the cerebellar network and frontal-temporal-parietal network in motor coordination indicated that a deficit in the planning of movements may contribute to atypical motor skills. The study gained an understanding of neuroimaging traits among ASD children and may provide evidence for the design of the motor-related intervention.