Relationships of Sleep Duration With Weight-Related Behaviors of U.S. College Students

Document Type

Article

Date of Original Version

9-2-2016

Abstract

This study describes sleep behaviors of U.S. college students (N = 1,252; 18–24 years old; 59% female) and examines associations of sleep duration with weight-related behaviors. More than one quarter of participants slept < 7 hr/night and had mean Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores indicating poor sleep quality. There were significant differences for all PSQI scales among sleep duration categories, < 7 hr (n = 344), 7–8 hr (n = 449), ≥ 8 hr (n = 459) sleep/night. Compared to those who slept ≥ 8 hr, those who slept < 8 hr had significantly more negative eating attitudes (2% higher), poorer internal regulation of food (4% lower), and greater binge eating (4% higher) scores. Findings advocate for health care professionals to evaluate sleep behaviors of college students during office visits and promote good sleep behaviors.

Publication Title, e.g., Journal

Behavioral Sleep Medicine

Volume

14

Issue

5

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