Sex-specific difference in the association between poor sleep quality and abdominal obesity in rural Chinese: a large population-based study

Study Objectives: Existing studies on sleep quality and associated obesity are inconsistent, and few studies have prospectively evaluated the association between sleep quality and abdominal obesity among Chinese individuals. To fill this void, the current study aimed to assess the association between sleep quality and abdominal obesity in a rural Chinese population. Methods: A representative sample of 9,404 adults aged 20–93 years in northeastern China was selected between 2012 and 2013 by a multistage cluster and random sampling method. Sleep quality was evaluated by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), where a score of 6 or higher indicated sleep disorder. Abdominal obesity was measured by waist circumference (WC), with abdominal obesity defined as WC > 90 cm for men and WC > 80 cm for women. Results: Male participants with abdominal obesity had higher global PSQI scores in addition to higher subscores in almost all of the elements compared to normal values. The odds ratios of abdominal obesity among participants with sleep disorders were 1.64 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.39–1.95) and 1.14 (95% CI: 0.98–1.32) for males and females compared to the reference group. The risk in all sleep elements was significantly increased, with odds ratios ranging from 1.28 (95% CI: 1.08–1.51) to 5.81 (95% CI: 3.54–9.53) for males. The risk only in four elements was significantly increased, from 1.28 (95% CI: 1.12–1.47) to 2.27 (95% CI: 1.36–3.80) for females. Conclusions: Poor sleep quality was associated with abdominal obesity in Chinese. Furthermore, effects in males were larger than those in females