Diet, Physical Activity, and Sleep Habits

During young adulthood, patterns regarding physical activity,1,2 dietary intake,3 and weight status4 are established that track into later life and can impact health. Social and physical cues also impact patterns-particularly those cues that may influence biological and behavioral rhythms which can influence the Circadian Timing System (CTS).5 Chronotype, the timing of sleep patterns, is closely tied to the CTS as it reflects sleep in relation to the light and dark cycle, with morning-type (MT) having a pattern that should assist with better entrainment (sleep better entrained to the physical cues of light/dark).6 Research has found that chronotype is related to several areas important to health, including diet,6-11 physical activity,12-14 weight regulation.15-18. As a whole, research in this area suggests that MT individuals are more likely to consume a healthier eating pattern, be more physically active, and more successfully manage their weight. However, the research in this area for young adults is limited. While there has been research regarding chronotype and diet, activity, and weight management, there is a paucity of research on the relationship between social cues and social rhythms, which also influence the CTS, and health related outcomes. Social rhythms, as measured by the Social Rhythm Metric (SRM), are related to chronotype, such that MT is related to a higher SRM.19-21 Due to the relationship between SRM and chronotype, and chronotype and diet, physical activity, and weight management, it would be anticipated that SRM is also related to these health outcomes. Specifically, it would be anticipated that more consistent social rhythms (higher SRM) would be related to a healthier eating pattern, greater physical activity, and weight management. However, this relationship has never been investigated. Therefore, to better understand how social rhythms, which are triggered by social cues, are related to health, this investigation will be assessing both chronotype and SRM and collecting measures on diet quality, via food records, physical activity and sleep, via accelerometers, and anthropometrics, via BMI. The population of interest for this study is specifically young adults because young adulthood is a time period when health patterns are established for the rest of life. This study aims to observe if consistency in a young adult's schedule is related to health factors and outcomes, such as diet quality, amount of physical activity and sleep, and weight.