University Students' Sociodemographics, Physical Inactivity, and Inadequate and Poor-Quality Sleep Are Associated With Their Overweight/Obesity: Findings From a Case-Control Study in Bangladesh.
Md Hasan Al Banna, Mohammad Hamiduzzaman, Shammy Akter, Abdul-Aziz Seidu, Ayesha Begum, Nilufa Yeasmin, Satyajit Kundu, Mst Umme Hafsa Begum, Mst Sadia Sultana, Bernard Kissi-Abrokwah, Najim Z Alshahrani, Md Shafiqul Islam Khan, Md Nazmul Hassan
Author Information
Md Hasan Al Banna: Department of Food Microbiology, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Science Patuakhali Science and Technology University Patuakhali Bangladesh. ORCID
Mohammad Hamiduzzaman: Faculty of Medicine and Health The University of Sydney Lismore Australia.
Shammy Akter: Department of Applied Nutrition and Food Technology, Faculty of Biological Sciences Islamic University Kushtia Bangladesh.
Abdul-Aziz Seidu: Public Health and Tropical Medicine James Cook University Townsville Australia. ORCID
Ayesha Begum: School of Ecology and Environmental Science Yunnan University Kunming China.
Nilufa Yeasmin: Department of Applied Food Science and Nutrition, Faculty of Food Science and Technology Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University Chattogram Bangladesh.
Satyajit Kundu: Public Health, School of Medicine and Dentistry Griffith University Gold Coast Australia. ORCID
Mst Umme Hafsa Begum: Department of Public Health Nutrition Primeasia University Dhaka Bangladesh.
Mst Sadia Sultana: Department of Health, Society, & Behavior UC Irvine Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health Irvine California USA.
Bernard Kissi-Abrokwah: C. K. Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences Navrongo Ghana.
Najim Z Alshahrani: Department of Family and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine University of Jeddah Jeddah Saudi Arabia. ORCID
Md Shafiqul Islam Khan: Department of Food Microbiology, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Science Patuakhali Science and Technology University Patuakhali Bangladesh.
Md Nazmul Hassan: Department of Environmental Health and Sanitation, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Science Patuakhali Science and Technology University Patuakhali Bangladesh.
Background and Aims: Evidence confirms a high prevalence of general and abdominal obesity among university students in Bangladesh. The primary objective of this case-control study was to examine the association between overweight/obesity and sleep patterns (including sleep duration and quality) among university students in Bangladesh. The secondary objective was to identify the sociodemographic and lifestyle-related factors that predict overweight/obesity in the study population. Methods: The sociodemographics and body mass index (BMI) were gathered from a sample of 330 university students (setting: one public university in Bangladesh). Sleep health was measured by the 19-item Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and compared between the cases (BMI ≥ 23.0 kg/m) and controls (BMI = 18.5-22.9 kg/m). Bivariate and multiple stepwise regression analyses were performed. Results: One hundred and sixty-five overweight/obesity students and 165 control subjects participated in the study. The peak age for overweight/obesity was 22-25 years in the students, and about 67% of the cases were poor-quality sleepers compared to 53% of the students in the control group. Multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that students' overweight/obesity was associated with being female (adjusted odds ratio, aOR = 2.12; 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.25, 3.61), short sleep duration ( ≤ 7 h/night) (aOR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.04, 2.66), poor quality of sleep (aOR = 1.82, 95% CI: 1.16, 2.87), and physical inactivity (aOR = 1.89; 95% CI: 1.12, 3.55). Conclusion: Key factors associated with overweight/obesity among Bangladeshi university students include age (22-25 years), gender (higher prevalence in female students), sleep duration and quality, and physical inactivity. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions addressing sleep health, physical activity, and healthy lifestyles to mitigate overweight/obesity among university students.
