Joint Association of Sleep and Physical Activity with Central Obesity in Chinese Adults.

Authors

You Jing Zhang, Mei Ling Hu, Zi Yi Yang, Jian Xin Li, Jie Cao, Ji Chun Chen, Fang Chao Liu, Ke Yong Huang, Hong Fan Li, Chong Shen, Dong Sheng Hu, Xiao Qing Liu, Shu Jun Gu, Ling Yu, Jian Feng Huang, Xiang Feng Lu, Dong Feng Gu, Shu Feng Chen

Published in

Biomedical and environmental sciences : BES. Volume 39. Issue 6. Pages 619-629. Jun 20, 2026.

Abstract

To examine the associations of sleep duration and physical activity (PA) with central obesity among Chinese adults.
Based on the Prediction for Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk in China (China-PAR) project, 175,373 observations from 106,518 participants were included. Generalized estimating equations quantified the associations of sleep duration and PA with waist circumference (WC) and central obesity. Stratified and joint analyses were performed to evaluate combined effects, and an isotemporal substitution model was used to assess substitution effects.
Suboptimal sleep duration (< 7 h/day or ≥ 9 h/day) and inadequate PA were associated with higher WC and an increased risk of central obesity. Compared with optimal sleep duration (7 - < 9 h/day), both longer (≥ 9 h/day) and shorter (< 7 h/day) sleep durations were associated with increased WC (0.27 cm [95% confidence interval ( CI): 0.18, 0.35] and 0.15 cm [95% CI: 0.04, 0.27], respectively) and a higher risk of central obesity (odds ratio, 1.09 [95% CI: 1.07, 1.12] and 1.05 [95% CI: 1.02, 1.08], respectively). Joint analyses revealed that individuals with inadequate PA and short sleep duration had the highest WC and highest risk of central obesity. Among individuals sleeping > 8 h/day, substituting 30 min/day of sleep with moderate-to-vigorous PA significantly reduced the risk of central obesity.
Suboptimal sleep duration has a detrimental effect on central obesity, and adequate PA can mitigate this effect. The impact of reallocating sleep duration varies by sleep duration, highlighting the need to optimize both PA and sleep patterns in China.

PMID:
42417231
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 08 Jul 2026.

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