The association between sleeping patterns, eating habits, obesity, and quality of life among Israeli adolescents

The aims of the study were to examine the association between self-reported sleep patterns, daytime sleep-related behaviors (DSRB), daytime sleepiness, depressed mood, eating habits, body mass index (BMI), and quality of life among Israeli adolescents. Method: Participants (844 adolescents; 457 females) completed several demographic and clinical (sleep-wake pattern, DSRB, eating habits, and quality of life) questionnaires. Results and conclusion: The average weekday and weekend sleep duration was 7.87 h; 17.8% of participants slept 7 h or less, and 12% slept an average of 9 h or more. Weekday and mean nighttime sleep duration was found to correlate with unhealthy eating habits, sleep behaviors, social and school performance, and quality of life measures (statistically significant). A linear association emerged between the percentage of students with BMI > 25 and weekday sleep duration only for females in 11-12th graders (after adjustment for gender and grade). BMI correlated with psychosocial and total quality of life (statistically significant). Future research should use objective tools to examine BMI categories and sleep duration.