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Relationship between sleep duration and obesity in Chilean elderly
Archivos Latinoamericanos De Nutricion
|May 9, 2018
Summary
Elderly individuals sleeping less than recommended hours face a higher risk of obesity. This association is significant, though influenced by factors like tobacco and medication use in older adults.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Nocturnal sleep patterns are increasingly recognized as a factor in the obesity epidemic.
- Previous studies identify sleep restriction as an independent risk factor for weight gain and obesity.
- The association between sleep duration and obesity in the elderly population remains underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between sleep duration and obesity among autonomous elderly individuals in Chile.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 1,706 autonomous elderly participants (59.9% women) from Santiago, Chile.
- Data collection included the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and anthropometric measurements.
- Statistical analysis assessed the association between sleep duration and obesity risk.
Main Results:
- A significant proportion (84.0%) of the elderly population reported sleeping less than recommended.
- Sleeping less than recommended hours was initially associated with an increased risk of obesity (OR=1.49, 95% CI 1.04-2.13).
- This association lost statistical significance when adjusted for tobacco and medicine consumption (OR=1.50, 95% CI 0.95-2.38).
Conclusions:
- An association exists between shorter sleep duration and an increased risk of obesity in autonomous elderly individuals.
- Factors such as tobacco and medication use may confound this relationship in this demographic.
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