Age and sex differences in the association between sleep duration and general and abdominal obesity at 6-year follow-up: the rural Chinese cohort study

Abstract

Objective: The association between sleep duration and general and abdominal obesity in adults, especially in the rural Chinese population, remains unclear. Therefore, we conducted this study to evaluate the association between sleep duration and general and abdominal obesity in rural Chinese adults.

Methods: We included 12,446 adults aged 18-75 years old who completed a baseline examination during 2007-2008 and follow-up during 2013-2014. We prospectively investigated the sleep-obesity association over an average of six-year follow-up. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to assess the probability of new-onset general and abdominal obesity, estimating odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results: As compared with sleep duration 6.5-7.5 h, short sleep duration (<6.5 h) was significantly associated with increased probability of abdominal obesity in men (OR = 1.60, 95% CI: 1.05-2.45) after controlling for multiple covariates. A similar association was found in men aged >60 years but not in women or in men ≤60 years. We found no significant association between sleep duration and general obesity. The results were consistent when restricting the analysis to participants without cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus or cancer at baseline.

Conclusions: Short sleep duration was significantly associated with abdominal obesity in rural Chinese adults, and the association varied by sex and age.

Keywords: Abdominal obesity; General obesity; Prospective cohort study; Sex; Sleep duration.