ASSOCIATION OF SLEEP DURATION WITH OBESITY: A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY IN MEDICAL STUDENTS

Iram Jaan MD*, Mumtaz Gowhar MD and Saima Nazir MD.

ABSTRACT

Background: The latest threat to global health is the ongoing obesity pandemic. Cross-sectional studies support an association between less sleep and obesity. However, results from these studies are inconsistent. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students of SKIMS Medical College, Srinagar. As it was not possible to do a community based survey, owing to the restrictions of COVID lockdown, we decided to collect the data online. This survey consisted of voluntary nature of participation, declarations of anonymity and confidentiality, and the questionnaire. Persons above 18 years of age and agreed to participate in the study after completion of the questionnaire were included in the study. Body type was categorized according to the World Health Organization. Results: Two hundred students were enrolled in this study. The mean age of the respondents was 19.86 + 0.64 years. Ninety students (45%) were sleeping less than 8 hours/night. The mean BMI was highest in students having sleep < 6 hours (27.285 ± 3.741). The prevalence of overweight and obesity in our study was 20% with 15% being overweight and 5% obese. the prevalence of underweight was zero, and that of normal weight was 2 (8.69%), that of overweight were 15 (65.21%) and that of obesity was 6 (26.08%) in students who slept less than 6 hours per night. Conclusion: In conclusion, we see that sleep deprivation is well associated with obesity and overweight, but it requires a detailed survey to further substantiate the facts.

Keywords: Obesity; Sleep duration; Medical Students; Kashmir.