Association between Sleep Duration and Overweight/Obesity risk among middle-school students: a cross-sectional study in Fuzhou, China

Abstract Background: This study was designed to investigate the prevalence of sleep deprivation and explore the association between sleep duration and overweight or obesity in adolescents from middle school in Fuzhou, China.Methods: Questionaires focusing on sleep duration and overweight or obesity related factors were collected. A generalized linear hybrid model was used to evaluate the effects of sleep duration on overweight or obesity in school students.Results: The overall rates of overweight and obesity were 12.1% and 7.1%, respectively. The prevalence of sleep deprivation among students was 82.8%. The majority of high school students (92.5%) suffered from insufficient sleep. Compared with male children with a sleep duration of over 8 hrs a day, the odds ratios (95% CI) of overweight/obesity for those with a sleep duration of less than 6 h or 6 - 8 h, were 1.63 (1.25-2.13) and 1.06 (0.88-1.27). After adjusting social and demographic status, mental health and lifestyle factors, the odds ratios of female children were 1.38(0.99-1.93) and 1.04 (0.79-1.35), respectively.Conclusions: A large number of adolescents suffered from insufficient sleep. Sleep duration was negatively correlated with overweight or obesity among male children.