Association between sleep quality and central obesity among southern Chinese reproductive-aged women
Abstract Background Females are more prone to complain about sleep problems. Poor sleep quality in this group may make them more vulnerable to suffering obesity and other diseases, which can seriously affect their fitness and quality of life. Nevertheless, the connections between sleep quality and central obesity among reproductive-aged women are not clear. The aims of this study were to explore the association between sleep quality as measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and central obesity among Chinese reproductive-aged women and to identify the independent contributions of sociodemographic characteristics, health-related factors, and sleep quality to central obesity. Methods In this cross-sectional survey, 2449 Chinese reproductive-aged women aged 18-49 years were studied. Sleep quality was assessed using the Chinese version of the PSQI. Central obesity as the outcome of interest was a binary variable; women were categorized as with versus without central obesity. Clustered logistic regression was used to analyze the independent contribution of sleep quality to central obesity. Results The risk of central obesity increased significantly with poor sleep quality (assessed by global PSQI score) (adjusted OR(Odds Ratio)=2.20 per SD increase; P=0.004), increased sleep disturbance score (adjusted OR=1.11 per SD increase; P=0.042) and decreased subjective sleep quality score (adjusted OR=0.81 per SD increase; P<0.001). The independent contribution of sleep quality was 9.9%, less than those of sociodemographic (73.3%) and health-related (16.8%) variables. Among complaints related to sleep disturbance, the inability to breathe comfortably and having bad dreams showed significant associations with central obesity. Conclusions There exists some degree of correlation between sleep quality and central obesity among Chinese reproductive-aged women. Understanding this link has public health relevance because of the important role sleep plays in health. It also has some implications for the discovery of novel strategies to prevent central obesity and the implementation of weight maintenance programs in this population group.