The association between night eating syndrome and health-related quality of life in Korean adults: a nationwide study

Purpose Quality of life may be influenced by the presence of eating disorders. This study investigated the association between night eating syndrome (NES) and health-related quality of life in the general population. Methods Data were from the 2019 Korea Community Health Survey. The presence of NES was determined using the Night Eating Questionnaire. Health-related quality of life was measured using the 3-level EuroQoL-5 Dimension Index. Multivariable linear regression analyses assessed the association between NES and health-related quality of life. Subgroup analyses were performed based on daily sleep duration. Results A total of 34,434 individuals aged 19 years or older were included in the study population. Participants with NES (β = − 4.85, p β = − 12.03, p = 0.004), followed by those who slept less than 6 h (β = − 5.90, p = 0.006) and participants who slept between 6 and 8 h (β = − 3.40, p = 0.026) daily. Conclusion Individuals with NES were more likely to have a lower health-related quality of life than those without NES. These findings highlight the potential importance of considering NES in investigating the health-related quality of life. Level of evidence Level III, well-designed case–control analytic studies.