Association between Sleep Duration and Body Mass Index among South Korean Adolescents

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Recently, there has been a growing interest in sleep duration as a risk factor for obesity. The link between sleep duration and obesity has been well established in adults, but there are limited studies in adolescents. Also, little research had been done involving South Korean adolescents. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between sleep duration and body mass index in South Korea adolescents. METHODS: This was a secondary analysis of the data collected from the 2013 Korean Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey. The sample included 59,367 adolescents. The questionnaires used for this study assessed gender, age, mother's education level, academic performance, smoking, alcohol use, eating behaviors, physical activity, duration of internet use, perceived stress level, and perceived health status. Data were analyzed with chi2-test, ANOVA, and logistic regression analysis using SPSS Version 21. RESULTS: The percentage of obese subjects was the greatest among respondents reporting less than 5 h of sleep (11.0%) and the lowest among those reporting 8 or more hours of sleep (8.4%). In the results of logistic regression analysis, compared with sleep duration of 8h or more, the adjusted odds ratio was 1.11 for 7-8 h, 1.19 for 6-7 h, 1.19 for 5-6 h, and 1.19 for <5 h of sleep, with other factors controlled. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study showed that a shortsleep duration is significantly associated with obesity among South Korea adolescents. In managing obesity in this population, health professionals should attend to how much sleep they are getting.