Night eating syndrome in women with gestational diabetes mellitus: a comparative cross-sectional study

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of night eating syndrome among women with gestational diabetes mellitus compared with healthy pregnant controls, and to evaluate its associations with sleep quality, healthy lifestyle behaviors, fatigue severity, physical activity, perceived social support, and neonatal outcomes.

This single-center, comparative cross-sectional study enrolled 615 pregnant women at a tertiary hospital. Night eating syndrome was identified using the Night Eating Questionnaire ≥25. Sleep quality, lifestyle behaviors, fatigue, physical activity, and perceived social support were assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Scale, Fatigue Severity Scale, International Physical Activity Questionnaire, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Group comparisons, and multivariable logistic regression with Benjamini-Hochberg correction were performed.

Night eating syndrome prevalence was higher in women with gestational diabetes mellitus than in controls (p<0.001). The gestational diabetes mellitus group exhibited worse sleep (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index 17.2±4.0 vs. 8.3±5.7), lower Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Scale scores, greater fatigue, and reduced social support (all p<0.001). Higher Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Scale and physical activity were protective against night eating syndrome. Night eating syndrome was independently associated with a nearly fourfold increase in neonatal intensive care unit admission (adjusted odds ratio 3.82; 95%CI 1.68-8.71; p=0.001) after adjustment for gestational diabetes mellitus, body mass index, sleep, fatigue, lifestyle, gestational age at birth, and maternal age.

Night eating syndrome is highly prevalent among women with gestational diabetes mellitus, clustering with poor sleep, severe fatigue, sedentariness, and reduced social support, and independently associated with adverse neonatal outcomes.