Characterizing Sleep and Physical Activity Patterns Among Adults in Puerto Rico with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Physical inactivity and sleep disturbances can affect health and quality of life in people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This study aimed to describe physical activity (PA) and sleep characteristics in adults with IBD in Puerto Rico.

Forty-eight participants (24 women, 24 men; mean age, 42.1 ± 14.1 years), 73% with Crohn's disease (CD) and 27% with ulcerative colitis (UC), completed anthropometric measures and wore an accelerometer on the non-dominant wrist for 7 days to assess PA and sleep characteristics. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire were also used in a subsample(n = 43).

On average, patients with IBD met PA recommendations (≥150 min/week) but had short sleep duration. Patients with CD were significantly younger than patients with UC, but no differences were found in PA, body mass index (BMI), or sleep duration. Men were taller and heavier than women, but BMI, PA, and sleep characteristics were similar, except that men had more sleep interruptions. Physical activity peaked in the afternoon and evening. No significant correlations were found between PA and sleep quality. However, sleep duration was inversely correlated with BMI, and PA was positively correlated with BMI.

Patients with IBD were generally overweight and physically active and had short sleep duration. Monitoring PA, sleep, and BMI may inform targeted health interventions in this population.