The association of sleep quality and chronotype with fat preference among university students: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

The increasing consumption of high-fat, energy-dense diets has contributed to the global rise in obesity and related chronic diseases. Fat preference is a multifactorial behavior potentially influenced by circadian rhythms and sleep-related factors. We aimed to investigate how these factors are associated with spontaneous preferences for high-fat foods among university students (n = 395). Fat preference was assessed using the Fat Preference Questionnaire (FPQ), sleep quality with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, chronotype with the Morningness - Eveningness Questionnaire, and physical activity with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Participants (73.6% female; mean age 21.17 +/- 1.74 y; mean Body Mass Index (BMI) 21.76 +/- 3.66 kg/m2) showed significant gender differences: males had higher TASTE and FREQ scores (p < 0.001), whereas females had higher DIFF scores (p = 0.004). DIFF scores differed between normal-weight individuals and those with overweight (p = 0.016). BMI was positively correlated with TASTE score overall and in males, and with DIFF score in females (p < 0.05). Chronotype had a weak but significantly negative correlation with TASTE and FREQ scores (p < 0.05) and was inversely associated with sleep quality (p < 0.001). Physical activity was not significantly associated with fat preference indices. Fat preference appears to be influenced by gender, BMI, chronotype, and nutrition-related education. Circadian-informed and behaviorally tailored interventions may support strategies to reduce high-fat food consumption.