Association Between Sleep Duration and Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in United States Adults and Veterans

INTRODUCTION: Adequate sleep and a diet rich in fruits and vegetables are essential components of a healthy lifestyle. A growing body of evidence suggests an association between sleep duration and fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption, but it has not been well established in U.S. adults. It’s unclear if this association differs for groups at higher risk for sleep disturbances and poor diet quality. We examined the relationship between categories of sleep duration and prevalence of low fruit and vegetable consumption among U.S. adults and Veterans. METHODS: We performed a cross sectional analysis of data from 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System of US adults (N = 60,479), of whom 7,904 were Veterans. We used logistic regression to assess the relationship between categories of sleep duration (short, recommended, and long) and low FV consumption (consumption of FV less than once per day) adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, employment status, physical activity level, smoking status, and number of children in the household for the population as a whole and additionally overall, and stratified by Veteran status. RESULTS: The unadjusted odds of low FV consumption was 56% higher for adults who reported short sleep (OR 1.56; 95% CI 1.44,1.68) and 76% higher for adults who reported long sleep (OR 1.76; 95% CI 1.54, 2.02) compared to adults who reported recommended sleep. After adjustment for covariates, the odds of low FV consumption became attenuated to 32% higher for adults who reported short sleep (OR 1.32; 95% CI 1.21,1.43) and 40% higher for adults who reported long sleep (OR 1.40; 95% CI 1.21, 1.61) compared to adults who reported recommended sleep. The association between sleep and low FV consumption did not differ meaningfully by Veteran status. DISCUSSION: Short and long sleep duration were associated with higher odds of low FV consumption and the association did not differ based on Veteran status.