Association between Sleep Duration and Obesity in Young Korean Adults

Obesity is a major public health burden in developed countries and is also a well-known risk factor of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Short sleep duration is associated not only with obesity, but also with diabetes mellitus, heart disease, and death. An inverse relationship between inadequate sleep duration and obesity has been shown in young adults, specifically in young women. Associations between sleep duration and health indicators differ according to factors such as race, culture, and sex. Koreans, in particular, are known to have relatively few sleep hours compared with those in other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. However, few studies have focused on the association between sleep duration and obesity in the Korean population. Therefore, we investigated the association between sleep duration and obesity after adjusting for socioeconomic position, health behaviors, and other clinical factors.