Is sleep duration associated with overweight/obesity in Indigenous Australian adults?

Abstract Background Associations between high BMI and sleep duration and chronic illness are recognised. Short sleep is an accepted predictor of high BMI for children, including Indigenous Australian children. Short sleep has also been associated with high BMI in Australian adults, although not spec...

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Main Authors: Melissa Deacon-Crouch, Stephen Begg, Timothy Skinner
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2020-08-01
Series:BMC Public Health
Subjects:
Online Access:http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-020-09287-z
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author Melissa Deacon-Crouch
Stephen Begg
Timothy Skinner
author_facet Melissa Deacon-Crouch
Stephen Begg
Timothy Skinner
author_sort Melissa Deacon-Crouch
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Associations between high BMI and sleep duration and chronic illness are recognised. Short sleep is an accepted predictor of high BMI for children, including Indigenous Australian children. Short sleep has also been associated with high BMI in Australian adults, although not specifically in Indigenous Australian adults. This study aims to determine whether the relationship between sleep duration and BMI observed in non-Indigenous adults holds for Indigenous adults. Methods Data collected from 5204 non-Indigenous and 646 Indigenous participants aged over 18 years in a nationally representative Australian Health Survey 2011–2013 were analysed. Sleep duration was self-reported as the time between going to bed and time waking up; BMI was derived from measurement and categorised into normal weight (BMI = 18.5–24.9) and overweight/obese (BMI ≥ 25). Logistic regression was performed for the non-Indigenous and Indigenous groups separately to examine the association between sleep duration and BMI in each group. Results Proportionally more Indigenous people were classified as overweight/obese than non-Indigenous (χ2 = 21.81, p < 0.001). Short sleep was reported by similar proportions in both groups (Indigenous 15% vs non-Indigenous 17%) whereas long sleep of > 9 h was reported by proportionally more Indigenous than non-Indigenous people (41% vs 26%). Without accounting for possible confounders, the association between sleep duration and BMI for the Indigenous group was not significant but a possible dose-response relationship was evident, with the odds of overweight/obesity being greatest for those who typically slept < 7 h (OR = 1.77, 95% CI 0.38–3.94) and < 6 h (OR = 1.55, 95%CI = 0.58–4.14). The same model for the non-Indigenous group was significant, with the odds of overweight/obesity being greatest for those who typically slept < 6 h (OR = 1.67, 95%CI 1.25–2.25). The risk of overweight/obesity diminished for both groups with sleep > 7 h. Accounting for a range of socioeconomic and personal confounders attenuated the strength of these relationships marginally. Conclusion Adding to reports relating sleep duration and BMI for Australian adults, this study provides evidence for an inverse relationship in non-Indigenous adults and suggests a similar trend for Indigenous adults. This trend was non-significant but is consistent with previous results for Indigenous children.
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spelling doaj.art-9341914998c8450f9245ee54ca5a9e472022-12-22T00:13:39ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582020-08-0120111310.1186/s12889-020-09287-zIs sleep duration associated with overweight/obesity in Indigenous Australian adults?Melissa Deacon-Crouch0Stephen Begg1Timothy Skinner2Department of Rural Nursing and Midwifery, La Trobe Rural Health School, La Trobe UniversityRural Department of Community Health, La Trobe Rural Health School, La Trobe UniversityDepartment of Psychology, Centre for Health and Society, University of CopenhagenAbstract Background Associations between high BMI and sleep duration and chronic illness are recognised. Short sleep is an accepted predictor of high BMI for children, including Indigenous Australian children. Short sleep has also been associated with high BMI in Australian adults, although not specifically in Indigenous Australian adults. This study aims to determine whether the relationship between sleep duration and BMI observed in non-Indigenous adults holds for Indigenous adults. Methods Data collected from 5204 non-Indigenous and 646 Indigenous participants aged over 18 years in a nationally representative Australian Health Survey 2011–2013 were analysed. Sleep duration was self-reported as the time between going to bed and time waking up; BMI was derived from measurement and categorised into normal weight (BMI = 18.5–24.9) and overweight/obese (BMI ≥ 25). Logistic regression was performed for the non-Indigenous and Indigenous groups separately to examine the association between sleep duration and BMI in each group. Results Proportionally more Indigenous people were classified as overweight/obese than non-Indigenous (χ2 = 21.81, p < 0.001). Short sleep was reported by similar proportions in both groups (Indigenous 15% vs non-Indigenous 17%) whereas long sleep of > 9 h was reported by proportionally more Indigenous than non-Indigenous people (41% vs 26%). Without accounting for possible confounders, the association between sleep duration and BMI for the Indigenous group was not significant but a possible dose-response relationship was evident, with the odds of overweight/obesity being greatest for those who typically slept < 7 h (OR = 1.77, 95% CI 0.38–3.94) and < 6 h (OR = 1.55, 95%CI = 0.58–4.14). The same model for the non-Indigenous group was significant, with the odds of overweight/obesity being greatest for those who typically slept < 6 h (OR = 1.67, 95%CI 1.25–2.25). The risk of overweight/obesity diminished for both groups with sleep > 7 h. Accounting for a range of socioeconomic and personal confounders attenuated the strength of these relationships marginally. Conclusion Adding to reports relating sleep duration and BMI for Australian adults, this study provides evidence for an inverse relationship in non-Indigenous adults and suggests a similar trend for Indigenous adults. This trend was non-significant but is consistent with previous results for Indigenous children.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-020-09287-zSleepIndigenousObesityBody mass indexAustralianAdult
spellingShingle Melissa Deacon-Crouch
Stephen Begg
Timothy Skinner
Is sleep duration associated with overweight/obesity in Indigenous Australian adults?
BMC Public Health
Sleep
Indigenous
Obesity
Body mass index
Australian
Adult
title Is sleep duration associated with overweight/obesity in Indigenous Australian adults?
title_full Is sleep duration associated with overweight/obesity in Indigenous Australian adults?
title_fullStr Is sleep duration associated with overweight/obesity in Indigenous Australian adults?
title_full_unstemmed Is sleep duration associated with overweight/obesity in Indigenous Australian adults?
title_short Is sleep duration associated with overweight/obesity in Indigenous Australian adults?
title_sort is sleep duration associated with overweight obesity in indigenous australian adults
topic Sleep
Indigenous
Obesity
Body mass index
Australian
Adult
url http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-020-09287-z
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AT stephenbegg issleepdurationassociatedwithoverweightobesityinindigenousaustralianadults
AT timothyskinner issleepdurationassociatedwithoverweightobesityinindigenousaustralianadults