[The association between sleep and obesity in Korean adults].
OBJECTIVE
Obesity is currently an epidemic in Korea, and sleep duration is thought to be one of the risk factors for obesity. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that short sleep duration is associated with obesity in Korean adults.


METHODS
The data from the 2001 Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey were used, and 6,174 subjects aged 18 approximately 80 years were included in the analysis. Sleep duration was measured using information obtained from self-reported questionnaires. Obesity, the main outcome variable, was measured according to body mass index. Multiple regression modeling was used to adjust for potential confounding variables.


RESULTS
The study results revealed a negative association between sleep duration and body mass index among Korean adults. These associations persisted after controlling for the potential confounding variables.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings support the hypothesis that sleep duration is associated with obesity in Korean adults. In addition, these observations support earlier experimental sleep studies and provide a basis for future studies on weight control intervention by increasing the amount of sleep.
Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea.
Young Jun
YJ
Park
Won Chul
WC
Lee
Hyeon Woo
HW
Yim
Young-Moon
YM
Park
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires