The association between night eating syndrome and health-related quality of life in Korean adults: a nationwide study

Abstract

Purpose: Quality of life may be influenced by the presence of eating disorders. This study investigated the association between night eating syndrome (NES) and health-related quality of life in the general population.

Methods: Data were from the 2019 Korea Community Health Survey. The presence of NES was determined using the Night Eating Questionnaire. Health-related quality of life was measured using the 3-level EuroQoL-5 Dimension Index. Multivariable linear regression analyses assessed the association between NES and health-related quality of life. Subgroup analyses were performed based on daily sleep duration.

Results: A total of 34,434 individuals aged 19 years or older were included in the study population. Participants with NES (β = - 4.85, p < 0.001) reported poorer health-related quality of life scores than those without NES. Decreases in health-related quality of life scores among those with NES were greatest in those who slept over 8 h daily (β = - 12.03, p = 0.004), followed by those who slept less than 6 h (β = - 5.90, p = 0.006) and participants who slept between 6 and 8 h (β = - 3.40, p = 0.026) daily.

Conclusion: Individuals with NES were more likely to have a lower health-related quality of life than those without NES. These findings highlight the potential importance of considering NES in investigating the health-related quality of life.

Level of evidence: Level III, well-designed case-control analytic studies.

Keywords: Feeding and eating disorders; Health-related quality of life; Night eating syndrome; Quality of life; Sleep.