Abstract
Background
Adult populations of more than 2 billion and 1.12 trillion people will suffer from overweight and obesity, respectively, by 2030. Sleep quality has declined simultaneously with the increased prevalence of overweight and obesity, suggesting a potential link. However, there are inadequate published articles showing that poor sleep quality is a risk factor for obesity in young and older adults in Ethiopia.
Methods
An institution-based cross-sectional study of Jimma University academic staff was conducted. A total of 427 academic staff members participated in the study. A two-stage cluster sampling procedure was used to select study participants by their departments. Height and weight measurements were taken by trained data collectors. A reliable self-administered questionnaire was used to assess sleep quality. Analysis was performed using Stata version 13.1. Structural equation modeling using the maximum likelihood estimation method was used to analyze the data.
Results
A total of 32.3% (95% CI: 28.0, 36.9) of the participants had poor sleep quality. The mean (± SD) BMI of the respondents was 22.7 (± 3.1) kg/m2. The study indicated that 23.1% of the academicians at Jimma University had a BMI greater than 25 kg/m2. The overall prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress was 25.5%, 44.7%, and 16.62%, respectively. Poor sleep quality appeared to have a significant inverse and indirect association with BMI (β = -0.08/P = 0.042), which was mediated through depression and obesogenic dietary behavior.
Conclusion
The present study revealed that poor sleep quality is inversely associated with BMI among Jimma University academic staff. It is highlighted in the study that there is a significant interplay between depression, obesogenic eating behavior and poor sleep quality in influencing healthy weight, but future research should emerge to test this association with the support of clinical trials.