ASSOCIATION OF PERCEIVED STRESS AND SLEEP DURATION WITH BMI AMONG SCHOOLGOING ADOLESCENTS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Background: Perceived stress and sleep duration are recognized as significant factors which impact physical and
mental health. They also pose a potential risk for the promotion of overweight and obesity in adolescents they are more
prone to stress due to increased academic workload and competition. This study aimed to assess the association of
perceived stress and sleep duration with BMI among 14-16 year-old school-going adolescents. Methods: This crosssectional
study assessed the perceived stress levels and sleep duration of 215 purposively recruited adolescents by the
Perceived Stress Scale and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index respectively. Anthropometric measurements were analyzed
to assess the nutritional status. Results: The prevalence of obesity among boys and girls was 13.6% and 6.7%
respectively. 30% of participants were underweight, whereas 13.3% of the girls and 17.3% of the boys were overweight.
Girls reported having higher moderate to severe perceived stress than boys; and 74.4% of participants had poor sleep
quality. The data showed a significantly positive association between perceived stress and body fat percentage (P<0.05).
Sleep quality was also positively associated with BMI, waist circumference, and body fat percentage but results were not
significant. Conclusion: The results showed that higher levels of perceived stress were significantly and positively
associated with body fat percentage. Also, the study inferred an association of poor sleep quality with higher stress. It,
therefore, remains paramount to plan stress and sleep management interventions during the adolescence stage, to
foster better health among adolescents.