Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, sleep disturbances, and body mass index in college students
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Objective To examine whether body mass index (BMI), sleep duration, and daytime sleepiness differed by ADHD diagnostic status, and to investigate the role of sleep duration and daytime sleepiness in the ADHD-BMI relationship.Participants Participants were 72,040 18–25-year-old respondents to the American College Health Association National College Health Assessment III (ACHA-NCHA III).Method Welch’s t-tests and a serial mediation model were conducted.Results College students with ADHD (vs. without) reported significantly higher BMIs (t = −6.81, p < .001), shorter sleep duration (t = 9.31, p < .001), and more days experiencing excessive daytime sleepiness (t = −9.60, p < .001). Sleep duration and daytime sleepiness served as partial serial mediators of the ADHD-BMI relationship (p’s of direct and indirect effects < .05).Conclusion Sleep duration and quality may be promising targets for weight-related interventions, especially among college students with ADHD who are at an increased risk of higher weight status and sleep disturbances.
Institution: Syracuse University
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4413966722