Association between sleep duration and asthma in different weight statuses (CHNS 2009–2015)

Inadequate sleep duration affects asthma and weight. The associations among sleep duration, asthma, and different weight statuses in the Chinese population need to be further determined.

The study included 32,776 Chinese adults from the China Health and Nutrition Survey during 2009–2015. Self-reported sleep duration was classified into three groups: ≤ 6 h (short), 7 to 8 h (optimal), and ≥ 9 h (long). Age, sex, smoking, drinking alcohol, and residence location were adjusted as potential confounding factors in a generalized estimating equations model.

The prevalence of asthma in the Chinese population was approximately 1.17% (383/32,776). Asthmatics were associated with shorter sleep duration and higher indices of central obesity (mean waist circumference, waist to height ratio, and conicity index) than the population without asthma. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, odds ratios (ORs) indicated positive associations between sleep duration and asthma (short vs optimal, adjusted OR = 1.74, 95%CI 1.33, 2.26; and long vs optimal, adjusted OR = 1.51, 95%CI 1.18, 1.93). When stratified by weight status, the participants with central obesity showed highest prevalence of asthma among the three sleep duration groups. With the adjustment of confounding factors, underweight and obesity grouped by waist to height ratio and conicity index remained associated with higher risk of asthma among short and long sleepers than in optimal sleepers.

Short and long sleepers with central obesity and underweight status were associated with significantly higher prevalence of asthma than optimal sleepers in Chinese adults.