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Sex differences in the association between dinner–bedtime interval and abdominal obesity: a large-scale cross-sectional study

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Abstract

Purpose

Dinner–bedtime interval was reported to be associated with general obesity. However, the association between dinner–bedtime interval and abdominal obesity is still unclear. This study was conducted to investigate the association of dinner–bedtime interval and abdominal obesity.

Methods

A total of 7600 participants from Henan rural cohort study were included in this study. A standard questionnaire was used to obtain the time of dinner and sleep by the way of face-to-face interview. Sleep quality of each participant was evaluated by Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline were used to assess the association between dinner–bedtime interval and abdominal obesity. Line regression was used to estimate the association between dinner–bedtime interval and lipid metabolism indexes. The mediation effect of sleep quality on the relationship between dinner–bedtime interval and abdominal obesity was evaluated.

Results

In male, increased dinner–bedtime interval was associated with abdominal obesity risk (Adjusted OR: 1.084, 95% CI 1.009–1.164). Compared with participants with dinner–bedtime interval ≤ 2 h, those dinner–bedtime interval > 2 h had an elevated risk of abdominal obesity (Adjusted OR: 1.199, 95% CI 1.009–1.425). In addition, a positive linear dose–response relationship was detected between dinner–bedtime interval and abdominal obesity. Moreover, total cholesterol concentration increased by 0.047 mmol/L for each 1-h increase in dinner–bedtime interval (P = 0.019). In addition, sleep quality mediated 11.45% of the relationship between dinner–bedtime interval and abdominal obesity (adjusted mediation effect: − 0.010, 95% CI − 0.019 to − 0.003). But in female, these associations were not significant.

Conclusion

It is suggested that increased dinner–bedtime interval was related to a higher risk of abdominal obesity in rural China and this association was differed by sex.

Level of evidence

Level V: cross-sectional descriptive study.

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Data availability statement

Additional data can on request be made available.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank all the colleagues who participated in the cross-sectional study of chronic disease. Thanks to all the subjects who participated in this study.

Funding

This work was supported by the Chinese Nutrition Society-Danone Dietary Nutrition Research and Education Fund (Grant No: DIC2020-04) and Yum China Dietary Health Foundation (Grant No: CNS-YUM2020A19), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 81703270), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 2020M672298), Science and Technology Innovation Team Support Plan of Colleges and Universities in Henan Province (Grant No:21IRTSTHN029), Key Research Program of Colleges and Universities in Henan Province (Grant No: 21A330007), Foundation of National Key Program of Research and Development of China (Grant No. 2016YFC0900803).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Avenue, Zhengzhou, People’s Republic of China

    Yuanyuan Chai, Zhenxing Mao, Chongjian Wang & Songcheng Yu

  2. College of Grain Oil and Food Science, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450001, People’s Republic of China

    Chenling Qu

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  1. Yuanyuan Chai
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Contributions

Yuanyuan Chai drafted the original manuscript, performed the statistical analysis. Chenling Qu, Zhenxing Mao, and Yuanyuan Chai collected the data. Chongjian Wang and Songcheng Yu designed the research, managed, and coordinated the planning and execution of research activities. Songcheng Yu revised the original manuscript and contributed to the statistical analysis. All the authors approved the publication of this research.

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Correspondence to Songcheng Yu.

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All the procedures performed in this study were followed the principle of the current version of the Declaration of Helsinki. The protocol was reviewed and approved by the Zhengzhou University Life Science Ethics Committee and informed consent was written by all the participants.

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Informed consent was written by all the participants in the study.

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Chai, Y., Qu, C., Mao, Z. et al. Sex differences in the association between dinner–bedtime interval and abdominal obesity: a large-scale cross-sectional study. Eat Weight Disord 27, 3479–3486 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-022-01484-6

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