Asociación entre sueño insuficiente, cambio en el tamaño de las porciones, patrones alimentarios y sobrepeso/obesidad en estudiantes latinoamericanos

Background: Sleep is a biological function of vital importance since it intervenes in multiple biological processes such as energy regulation, with poor quality and/or quantity of sleep being associated with overweight and obesity. The objective was to identify the association of insufficient sleep with changes in portion sizes, eating patterns and overweight/obesity in university students in Latin America. Methods: Cross-sectional, multicenter study. Students, using an online questionnaire, were asked about their diet, hours of sleep, weight and height, and other sociodemographic variables. Results: The study included 4,880 students, mostly women (73.8%). The regression showed no association between insufficient sleep with nutritional status and increased food portion size. In model 3 (higher adjustment), it was observed that insufficient sleep was associated with infrequent consumption of breakfast OR:1.22 (95% CI 1.07-1.40) and fruits OR:1.16 (95% CI 1.01-1.33), and no physical activity OR: 1.18 (95% CI 1.03-1.34), on the other hand there were protective associations against insufficient sleep such as belonging to the female sex OR: 0.86 (95% CI 0.74-0.99) and being students of health careers OR:0.64 (95% CI 0.56-0.73). Conclusions: The study reveals that insufficient sleep in university students is associated with not eating breakfast every day and insufficient fruit consumption.