Associated factors of habitual midday napping among Chinese adolescents

Midday napping, a culturally perceived health behavior, is common among adolescents in China. This study aimed to examine the factors associated with habitual midday napping behavior and explore sex differences in these factors. The sample comprised 1549 (62.5% males; mean age 16.29 ± 1.01 years) adolescents from a vocational high school that provided midday napping opportunities. Midday napping and nighttime sleep were measured using self-reported questions, and binary logistic regression was used to examine the associated factors of habitual midday napping. About 78% participants reported midday napping at least three times a week, and were classified as habitual nappers. They were less likely to be female [adjusted OR (aOR) = 0.59 (0.45, 0.78)], to be overweight/obese [aOR = 0.72 (0.53, 0.98)], and to have poor sleep quality [aOR = 0.58 (0.43, 0.77)], and they were more likely to have mothers with middle school or higher education [aOR = 1.35 (1.02, 1.78)]. Separate analyses showed that male habitual nappers were less likely to be overweight/obese [aOR = 0.63 (0.43, 0.92)], perform more physical activity [aOR = 0.59 (0.40, 0.89)], and report poor sleep quality [aOR = 0.55 (0.37, 0.81)], but were more likely to have mothers with higher education [aOR = 1.73 (1.19, 2.51)] than male non-habitual nappers. Female habitual nappers were less likely to report poor sleep quality [aOR = 0.56 (0.36, 0.88)], but more likely to have morning chronotype [aOR = 2.28 (1.21, 4.31)]. Habitual midday napping was associated with multifaceted factors, which provides important information to understand the habitual midday napping behavior of Chinese adolescents.