Arzhang P, Sadeghi N, Harchegani FA, Rezaei M, Ghaderi M, Yekaninejad MS, Leung CW, Azadbakht L. Associations between food insecurity and Sleep Duration, Quality, and Disturbance among older adults from six low- and middle-income countries.
J Nutr Health Aging 2024;
28:100018. [PMID:
38267148 DOI:
10.1016/j.jnha.2023.100018]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES
Although food insecurity has been associated with poor sleep outcomes in young and middle-aged adults, few studies have examined this relationship in older adults. This study aimed to examine the relationship between food insecurity and sleep duration, quality, and disturbance among older adults in six low-income countries (LMICs).
DESIGN AND SETTING
We analyzed nationally representative cross-sectional data from 33,460 adults (≥50 years) from the Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE).
MEASUREMENTS
Food insecurity (FI) was assessed using two questions regarding the frequency of eating less and hunger caused by a lack of food. Sleep outcomes included self-reported sleep duration, sleep quality, and sleep disturbances (difficulty falling asleep, frequent sleep interruptions, and early awakening) assessed based on self-reports over two nights. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess country-specific relationships between food insecurity and sleep outcomes, and random-effects models were used to estimate pooled associations.
RESULTS
The prevalence of FI among older adults in the overall population was 16.2%. In pooled analyses, FI was significantly associated with long sleep duration ≥ 9 h (OR=1.58, 95% CI: 1.30 to 1.93; P=0.001). There were also significant pooled associations between FI and poor sleep quality (OR=1.34, 95% CI: 1.14 to 1.56; P < 0.001) and sleep disturbances (OR=1.44, 95% CI: 1.08 to 1.91; P = 0.014).
CONCLUSIONS
In conclusion, the current study found that FI is adversely associated with sleep duration, quality and disturbances in older adults, with some heterogeneity by country. The findings suggest food policies and intervention programs are needed for vulnerable households.
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