The Longitudinal Examination of Habitual Sleep Duration in Relation to Weight Gain Risk Behaviors and Body Composition Changes Among College Students: Findings From Project STARLIT

Abstract

Background: The purpose of the current study was to examine habitual sleep duration trajectories across the first 2 years of college and determine whether the trajectories were related to weight gain risk behaviors and increases in body mass index (BMI) and percent body fat.

Method: A sample of 115 students with a BMI between 18.5 and 29.9 was enrolled prior to beginning their first year of college. Data were collected in the laboratory and remotely at three time points across the first 2 years of college. Participants completed a total of eight in-person sessions and three 8-day, at-home recording periods. There were objective measures of body fat composition (i.e., dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), BMI, sleep (i.e., Phillips Respironics Actiwatch 2 Device), and physical activity (i.e., Actigraph wGT3x-BT accelerometer). Self-report measures of sleep quality (i.e., Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) and food and beverage intake (i.e., Automated Self-Administered 24-h Dietary Assessment Tool) were also collected.

Results: The findings suggest that there were no habitual sleep duration trajectories observed; therefore, none of the outcome variables was examined in relation to trajectories. Follow-up mixed effects models suggest that as subjective poor sleep quality worsened, BMI increased both within participants and across the sample. No other significant relationships were found between sleep duration and quality and the other outcome variables.

Conclusion: The findings highlight subjective sleep quality as a potential key component in relation to obesity-related changes. Sample characteristics may have also played a role in the limited findings between the sleep variables and the other obesity-risk outcome variables.

Keywords: College students; Obesity risk; Sleep duration; Sleep quality.