Press Release: Race and Short Sleep Duration Increase the Risk for Obesity

Wow, no wonder I'm fat! I hate sleeping.

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American Academy of Sleep Medicine
Press Release

Public release date: 8-Jun-2009
Contact: Kelly Wagner
kwagner@aasmnet.org
708-492-0930
American Academy of Sleep Medicine

Race and short sleep duration increase the risk for obesity

WESTCHESTER, Ill. –According to a research abstract that will be presented on Monday, June 8, at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, race significantly influences the risk of obesity conferred by short sleep duration, with blacks having a greater risk than whites.

Results indicate that short sleep was associated with obesity, with the adjusted odds ratios for black Americans (1.78) and white Americans (1.43) showing that blacks had a 35 percent greater risk than whites of obesity associated with short sleep. The prevalence of obesity (body mass index of 30 or higher) was 52 percent for blacks and 38 percent for whites. The prevalence of short sleep (5 hours or less) was 12 percent for blacks and eight percent for whites.

Click here to read the rest of the release at EurekAlert.