Association of Sleep Disorder with Overweight and Obesity Among University Students of Chattogram: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Since obesity and being overweight are among the leading causes of various serious health problems like hypertension, diabetes, renal failure, cardiovascular illnesses, and mental health, they are major global public health concerns. Excessive stress is a major contributor to sleep disturbance in students, which is the most prevalent indicator of depression. Objectives: The objectives of the study are to assess the association between lack of sleep and body weight, and the sleeping pattern of the students, and compare it between the normal weight students and students who are overweight and obese. Methods: A total of 345 responses were collected from 8 different universities of Chattogram who are aged between 18-25 years old. Convenience sampling had to use in this study. However, the participants were chosen using a systematic random sampling process. From the study site, a list of potential participants was compiled which was collected from the university club leaders and class representatives. Results: Here, among the participants, around 39.4% are male whereas 60.4%, that is more than half are female. Around 48% of the participants are obese and 14% are overweight while 29% are normal and only 9% are underweight. 54.5% of the participants who have trouble falling asleep at night have normal weight and among obese students around 48.8% of them have sleeping trouble. Students are asked to rate their sleep quality. The finding presents close to 74% of the students who have bad sleeping quality are overweight. And 38% of the students who reported getting less than 6 hours of sleep per day are overweight. Conclusion: Considering the prevalence of overweight and obesity among early adults (aged 18-25 years) nowadays, it is high time the country’s policy should be broadened. It has been mentioned multiple times already that the student generation who are in their early adult phase gradually adopting an unhealthy lifestyle which might be one of the reasons for their increase in body weight. Because being overweight and obese is not as simple as just having a big body structure, these enhance other non-communicable diseases which are not so easy to be treated. Therefore, early detection should be prioritized to lead a happy and healthy life.