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Association between sleep and overweight/obesity among women of childbearing age in Canada

  • Quantitative Research
  • Published:
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Abstract

Objectives

Tests of the relationship between sleep and overweight/obesity (OW/OB) among women have been inconsistent. Few studies reporting such associations have focused on women of childbearing age. This paper investigates this association among Canadian women of childbearing age.

Methods

Data were from the Canadian Community Health Survey 2011–2014. The sample consisted of women aged 18–44 years. All variables were self-reported. Sleep duration was dichotomized as insufficient (< 7 h/night) or adequate (≥ 7 h/night). A composite score of sleep quality was used and dichotomized as poor none/little of the time or some/most/all of the time. Height and weight were used to calculate body mass index. Associations between sleep and OW/OB were assessed using logistic regression analyses with survey weights. Three models were computed for sleep duration/quality: model without covariates, model adjusted for demographics (age, ethnicity, level of education, household income, marital status, employment, parity, region, and season), and model adjusted for demographics and variables associated with OW/OB (mood disorder, fruit and vegetable intake, physical activity, smoking, and alcohol).

Results

Total sample consisted of 9749 women of childbearing age. Thirty-eight percent had insufficient sleep duration. Sleep duration was significantly associated with OW/OB in the model with no covariates and discriminated 52.8% of women of childbearing age, but this association was no longer significant in the models adjusted for covariates. Sleep quality was not significantly linked to OW/OB in any of the models.

Conclusion

Targeting sleep alone would likely not contribute to lower risk of OW/OB among Canadian women of childbearing age. Additional studies, especially longitudinal ones, are needed to confirm these findings.

Résumé

Objectifs

Les résultats des études sur l’association entre le sommeil et le surpoids/obésité (SP/OB) chez les femmes sont contradictoires. Peu d’études rapportant une telle association se sont concentrées sur les femmes en âge de procréer. Cette étude examine cette association chez des femmes en âge de procréer canadiennes.

Méthodologie

Les données provenaient de l’Enquête sur la santé dans les collectivités canadiennes 2011–2014. L’échantillon était composé de femmes âgées de 18 à 44 ans. Toutes les variables étaient autodéclarées. La durée du sommeil était dichotomisée comme insuffisante (< 7 heures/nuit) ou adéquate (≥ 7 heures/nuit). Un score composite de la qualité du sommeil a été utilisé et dichotomisé comme étant faible jamais/rarement ou parfois/la plupart du temps/tout le temps. La taille et le poids ont été utilisés pour calculer l’indice de masse corporel. L’association entre le sommeil et le SP/OB a été examinée à l’aide d’analyses de régression logistique avec des poids d’échantillonnage. Trois modèles ont été calculés pour la durée/qualité du sommeil: un modèle sans covariables, un modèle ajusté pour les données démographiques (âge, ethnie, niveau d’éducation, revenu du ménage, état matrimonial, statut d’emploi, parité, région et saison) et un modèle ajusté pour les données démographiques et les variables associées au SP/OB (trouble de l’humeur, consommation de fruits et légumes, activité physique, tabagisme et consommation d’alcool).

Résultats

L’échantillon total était composé de 9749 femmes en âge de procréer. Trente-huit pourcent d’entre-elles avaient une durée du sommeil insuffisante. La durée du sommeil était significativement associée au SP/OB dans le modèle sans covariables et permettait de discriminer 52,8 % des femmes en âge de procréer, mais cette association n’était plus significative dans les modèles ajustés pour les covariables. La qualité du sommeil n’était pas significativement liée au SP/OB dans aucun des modèles.

Conclusion

Cibler uniquement le sommeil risque peu de contribuer à diminuer le risque de SP/OB chez les femmes en âge de procréer canadiennes. Des études supplémentaires, en particulier avec des devis longitudinaux, sont nécessaires afin de confirmer ces résultats.

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Acknowledgements

The first author is recipient of a fellowship award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Funding

This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service under Agreement No. 58-3092-5-001.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, 1100 Bates Street, Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Lydi-Anne Vézina-Im, Theresa A. Nicklas & Tom Baranowski

  2. Graduate School of Urban Planning and Land Management, Laval University, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

    Alexandre Lebel

  3. Evaluation Platform on Obesity Prevention, Quebec Heart and Lung Research Institute, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

    Alexandre Lebel & Pierre Gagnon

Authors
  1. Lydi-Anne Vézina-Im
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  2. Alexandre Lebel
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  3. Pierre Gagnon
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Correspondence to Lydi-Anne Vézina-Im.

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Vézina-Im, LA., Lebel, A., Gagnon, P. et al. Association between sleep and overweight/obesity among women of childbearing age in Canada. Can J Public Health 109, 516–526 (2018). https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-018-0071-4

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