The association between night eating syndrome and health-related quality of life in Korean adults: a nationwide study

Abstract

PurposeQuality of life may be influenced by the presence of eating disorders. This study investigated the association between night eating syndrome (NES) and health-related quality of life in the general population.MethodsData were from the 2019 Korea Community Health Survey. The presence of NES was determined using the Night Eating Questionnaire. Health-related quality of life was measured using the 3-level EuroQoL-5 Dimension Index. Multivariable linear regression analyses assessed the association between NES and health-related quality of life. Subgroup analyses were performed based on daily sleep duration.ResultsA total of 34,434 individuals aged 19 years or older were included in the study population. Participants with NES (β = − 4.85, p < 0.001) reported poorer health-related quality of life scores than those without NES. Decreases in health-related quality of life scores among those with NES were greatest in those who slept over 8 h daily (β = − 12.03, p = 0.004), followed by those who slept less than 6 h (β = − 5.90, p = 0.006) and participants who slept between 6 and 8 h (β = − 3.40, p = 0.026) daily.ConclusionIndividuals with NES were more likely to have a lower health-related quality of life than those without NES. These findings highlight the potential importance of considering NES in investigating the health-related quality of life.Level of evidenceLevel III, well-designed case–control analytic studies.