NIGHT EATING SYNDROME AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH SLEEP QUALITY AND STRESS BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Abstract

Introduction: Late-night eating habits, poor sleep hygiene, and stress are no longer uncommon due to their increasing prevalence in today's society. They typically affect young individuals, particularly students in developing nations. Nevertheless, there are limited research on night eating syndrome (NES) among Malaysian students. Thus, this cross-sectional study aimed to assess the association of night eating syndrome, sleep quality and stress level among undergraduate students. Method: A convenience sampling of undergraduate students aged between 19 and 25 years at International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Kuantan was recruited and the total respondents were 436 students (218 female and 218 male respondents). A combination of Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) was used to collect the data from the respondents. The data were analysed using SPSS version 29 (SPSS 29.0) using Mann-Whitney U and Pearson Correlation tests. P value was set at p<0.05 as statistically significant. Results: The percentage of students having NES was 14.7%. However, there were differences between the prevalence of NES between male and female (p=0.03, z = 2.163). Also, there was a significant negative but weak correlation between NES and sleep quality (r = - 0.149, p=0.002). For association between NES and stress, there was a significant positive but weak correlation between those two (r = 0.260, p=0.001). Conclusions: The prevalence of NES is significantly higher among male than female students. A high level of NES was associated with a higher value of stress and poor sleep quality. Therefore, corrective strategies need to be taken place accordingly to enhance their well-being. Further research is warranted as these circumstances could potentially impair undergraduate students’ academic performance.