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SLEEP AND FOOD CHOICES: WOMEN'S EXPERIENCES FROM AN INTERNATIONAL SAMPLE
Author(s) -
Walker Ruth Elizabeth,
Blumfield Michelle,
Truby Helen
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.31.1_supplement.959.1
Subject(s) - pregnancy , medicine , sleep (system call) , psychological intervention , sleep quality , demography , environmental health , gerontology , psychiatry , insomnia , genetics , sociology , computer science , biology , operating system
Background Sleep duration and sleep quality are crucial for decision‐making and optimizing health however, sleep during pregnancy is often disrupted. This research aimed to ascertain whether disrupted sleep affects women's food choices. Methods Women completing a Massive Open Online Course ‘Food As Medicine’, responded to a questionnaire that explored their experiences regarding sleep and food choices. Chi‐squared was used to explore how sleep quality affected food choices during pregnancy between sub‐groups (age, parity, residing in a Westernized country, and pregnancy), p = 0.05. Results 302 women (n = 67, 22% pregnant) completed an online questionnaire. Women reported sleeping a median 7.0 hours per night (range 3.5–10 hours). A larger proportion of women living in Western countries (62%) found it more difficult to make healthy food choices when their sleep quality is poor than women in non‐Western countries (41%), χ 2 (1) = 5.614, p = 0.018. A larger proportion of non‐pregnant women (63%) reported that it was more difficult to make healthy food choices when their sleep quality was poor than women who were pregnant (49%), χ 2 (1) = 4.090, p = 0.043. There were no differences between women of different ages or parity. Conclusion Women who reside Western countries found it more difficult to make healthy food choices after poor sleep, however pregnancy appeared to be a protective factor. In order to improve women's food choices, multi‐faceted interventions that prioritize optimizing sleep quality during pregnancy are required, particularly in Western populations. Support or Funding Information Monash University