The developmental relationship between sleep and motor function: the Norwegian mother and child cohort study (MoBa)
About the project
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Project period: 31.12.2024 - 30.12.2027 (Active)
- Coordinating Institution: Norwegian Institute of Public Health
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Project Manager:
- Kirsti Riiser, National competence environment for child health clinics and school health services
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Project Participants:
- Kine Melfald Tveten, Inst. for idrett, kosthald og naturfag
- Katrine Nyvoll Aadland, Inst. for idrett, kosthald og naturfag
Summary
Adequate sleep is vital for overall well-being, encompassing cognitive, psychosocial, and physical health. While research has largely centered on cognitive and mental outcomes, the role of sleep in motor development—a complex, rapidly changing, and context-dependent construct—has been less explored. Evidence is mixed: some studies report positive or bidirectional links between sleep and motor function, others find effects limited to early infancy or no associations, often amid methodological limitations. A knowledge gap remains on whether early good sleep quality is crucial for motor function development, underscoring the need for large, prospective longitudinal studies. The aim of this study is to examine the bidirectional relationship between sleep and gross motor function over several time points in a population sample of young Norwegian children. The study will be conducted as a prospective, longitudinal population study. Data will be retrieved from the Mother and Child (MoBa) cohort study age band at 18 months, 3 years and 5 years. The relationships among latent variables (sleep and motor function) will be examined by structural equation modelling (SEM) employing cross-lagged panel models.