Later school start time is associated with better academic performance, sleep-wake rhythm characteristics, and eating behavior

There are numerous studies which show that an early school start time has a negative impact on the sleep, well-being, and academic performance of students. There is not enough information on the association between school start time and eating disorders, however: the disruption of the circadian rhythm is known to be a risk factor for eating disorders. The aim of this study is to analyze the relationship between school start time (SST) and the sleep, well-being, academic performance, and eating behavior of children and adolescents. The study was conducted in April and May 2021 in two regions of Russia: the Komi Republic and Yekaterinburg. The online study involved the anonymous and voluntary participation of 6571 students in grades 6–11 (mean age: 14.5 ± 1.6 years, 60.1% female), who have morning classes. All participants were divided into three groups according to SST: 08:00 (n = 3661), 08:30 (n = 2020), and 09:00 (n = 890). Each participant of the study indicated their place of residence, SST, age, sex, height, weight, academic performance, and filled out the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire, the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, and the Yale Food Addiction Scale for Children. As a result of multiple regression analysis, it was shown that schoolchildren with SST of 09:00 wake up at a later time on school days (B = 0.432; ΔR2 = 0.039), sleep more (B = 0.293; ΔR2 = 0.004), have less pronounced social jetlag (B = −0.223; ΔR2 = 0.005) and sleep loss (B = −0.292; ΔR2 = 0.005), and higher academic performance (B = 0.113; ΔR2 = 0.003) than schoolchildren with SST of 08:00. As a result of logistic regression analysis, it was found that the frequency of the detection of food addiction is ~30% lower in schoolchildren with SST of 09:00 (OR = 0.690; 95% CI = 0.485–0.981) than in their peers with SST of 08:00. Thus, an overly early SST in Russia has a negative impact on the sleep function, academic performance, and eating behavior of children and adolescents.