University Students' Sociodemographics, Physical Inactivity, and Inadequate and Poor-Quality Sleep Are Associated With Their Overweight/Obesity: Findings From a Case–Control Study in Bangladesh

Banna, Md Hasan Al, Hamiduzzaman, Mohammad, Akter, Shammy, Seidu, Abdul Aziz, Begum, Ayesha, Yeasmin, Nilufa, Kundu, Satyajit, Begum, Mst Umme Hafsa, Sultana, Mst Sadia, Kissi-Abrokwah, Bernard, Alshahrani, Najim Z., Khan, Md Shafiqul Islam, and Hassan, Md Nazmul (2025) University Students' Sociodemographics, Physical Inactivity, and Inadequate and Poor-Quality Sleep Are Associated With Their Overweight/Obesity: Findings From a Case–Control Study in Bangladesh. Health Science Reports, 8 (2). e70454.

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Abstract

Background and Aims: Evidence confirms a high prevalence of general and abdominal obesity among university students in Bangladesh. The primary objective of this case–control study was to examine the association between overweight/obesity and sleep patterns (including sleep duration and quality) among university students in Bangladesh. The secondary objective was to identify the sociodemographic and lifestyle-related factors that predict overweight/obesity in the study population. Methods: The sociodemographics and body mass index (BMI) were gathered from a sample of 330 university students (setting: one public university in Bangladesh). Sleep health was measured by the 19-item Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and compared between the cases (BMI ≥ 23.0 kg/m<sup>2</sup>) and controls (BMI = 18.5–22.9 kg/m<sup>2</sup>). Bivariate and multiple stepwise regression analyses were performed. Results: One hundred and sixty-five overweight/obesity students and 165 control subjects participated in the study. The peak age for overweight/obesity was 22–25 years in the students, and about 67% of the cases were poor-quality sleepers compared to 53% of the students in the control group. Multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that students' overweight/obesity was associated with being female (adjusted odds ratio, aOR = 2.12; 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.25, 3.61), short sleep duration (≤ 7 h/night) (aOR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.04, 2.66), poor quality of sleep (aOR = 1.82, 95% CI: 1.16, 2.87), and physical inactivity (aOR = 1.89; 95% CI: 1.12, 3.55). Conclusion: Key factors associated with overweight/obesity among Bangladeshi university students include age (22–25 years), gender (higher prevalence in female students), sleep duration and quality, and physical inactivity. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions addressing sleep health, physical activity, and healthy lifestyles to mitigate overweight/obesity among university students.

Item ID: 88360
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 2398-8835
Keywords: Bangladesh, obesity, overweight, sleep duration, sleep health, sleep quality, university students
Copyright Information: © 2025 The Author(s). Health Science Reports published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.
Date Deposited: 13 Apr 2026 05:25
FoR Codes: 42 HEALTH SCIENCES > 4206 Public health > 420606 Social determinants of health @ 100%
SEO Codes: 20 HEALTH > 2004 Public health (excl. specific population health) > 200401 Behaviour and health @ 100%
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