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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutritional Epidemiology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1479614

Relationship between sleep quality and dietary nutrients in rural elderly individuals: a latent class analysis

Provisionally accepted
Zhao Xinlei Zhao Xinlei 1Xie Xinyan Xie Xinyan 1Han Zhou Han Zhou 2Feng Zhong Feng Zhong 1*Cuiping Liu Cuiping Liu 3*
  • 1 Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
  • 2 Shandong Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shandong, China
  • 3 Shandong First Medical University, Tai'an, Shandong, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: This study sought to identify sleep patterns in older adults residing in rural regions, as well as investigate the potential influence of dietary nutrient intake on these patterns.Methods: Data were collected from a cross-sectional sample of Qingdao Town, Shandong Province, China. The study investigated 1167 elderly participants using a general questionnaire, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the simplified Food Frequency Questionnaire, and 24-hour dietary recall methods. Latent profile analysis and binary logistic regression were applied for data analysis.Result: Two sleep categories were identified as "Quick falling asleep, long time, high efficiency group ", Class 1(89.1%) and "Difficult falling asleep, short time, low efficiency group ", Class 2(10.9% ). In comparison to Class 1, individuals in Class 2 exhibited a higher likelihood of experiencing difficulties in falling asleep quickly and having poor sleep efficiency when consuming less than 50g/d of potatoes (OR=1.863, P=0.034). Conversely, a daily protein intake of 60g or more (OR=0.367, P=0.007), a daily intake of retinol of 700 equivalents or more (OR=0.212, P=0.002), and a daily milk intake of 300g or more (OR=0.295, P=0.035) were associated with a greater probability of falling asleep quickly, having longer sleep duration, and experiencing higher sleep efficiency.Our analysis identified two distinct sleep quality patterns among elderly individuals in rural areas. The sleep quality of rural elderly individuals is influenced by their dietary habits. The findings demonstrated a positive association between enhanced sleep quality and higher intake of dairy products, potatoes, and foods containing retinol and protein. Therefore, we propose increased consumption of these nutritional sources for the elderly population.

    Keywords: Rural elderly, Sleep pattern, latent class analysis, Dietary nutrition, Influence factor

    Received: 12 Aug 2024; Accepted: 03 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Xinlei, Xinyan, Zhou, Zhong and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Feng Zhong, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
    Cuiping Liu, Shandong First Medical University, Tai'an, 271000, Shandong, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.