Dados do Trabalho

Título

Evidence of the association between subjective sleep quality, emotional eating, and metabolic risk in a sample of university students: a cross-sectional study

Introdução

Introduction: A substantial body of evidence indicates a significant interrelationship between sleep quality, nutritional status and food intake. Young people who report poor sleep quality are more likely to experience negative emotions related to food.

Objetivo

Objective: Evaluate the relationship between subjective sleep quality, emotional eating, and nutritional status in university students.

Métodos

Methods: A sample of 208 undergraduate students (77% female, mean age: 21.77±1,3) completed an online survey that included assessments of subjective sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index-PSQI-BR), emotional eating (Emotional Eater Questionnaire-EEQ), and eating habits. Additionally, anthropometric data (self-reported) was collected, and body mass index (BMI) and metabolic risk (MR) were calculated.

Resultados

Results: Seventy-seven percent of volunteers reported experiencing poor sleep quality (mean PSQI score: 8.4±3.4), 91% exhibited some level of emotional eating (EEQ mean score: 13.6±6.6), and 31% were at metabolic risk (mean BMI: 24.1±4.8, mean waist circumference: 78.2±13.2cm). Individuals who were emotional eaters’ low emotional eater (p=0.03 OD=3.6 95CI 1.1-10.8), emotional eater (p<0.001 OD=8.4 95CI 2.5-28.6) and very emotional eater (p=0.005 OD=8.5 95CI 1.9-38.5) had higher odds of reporting poor sleep quality relative to those who did not engage in emotional eating. The probability of men falling into a higher category of emotional eaters was found to be less than that of women (p<0.001 OD=0.2 95CI 0.1-0.4).

Conclusões

Conclusions: Subjective sleep quality may be a significant contributing factor in the underlying mechanisms of emotional eating. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of this relationship, future studies should adopt a randomized controlled trial approach.

Palavras -chave

Keywords: Undergraduate students, sleep quality, emotional eating, nutritional status, metabolic risk.
Financial support: Associação Fundo de Incentivo à Pesquisa (AFIP), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES: PROEX -Nº88887.636330/2021-00).