Relationship between sleep quality and body mass index in chemical warfare victims with bronchiolitis obliterans

  Background: sleep is one of the basic requirements of human and any disruption in the normal flow of sleep, in addition to causing psychological problems, can also reduce a person's performance.   Objective: This study was aimed to determine the relationship between the sleep quality and body mass index in chemical warfare victims with bronchiolitis obliterans .   Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the respiratory clinic of Baqiyatallah Hospital in winter of 2007. A total of 93 victims of chemical warfare with bronchiolitis obliterans referred to the respiratory clinic were selected by nonprobability and convenience sampling method. Body mass index, as a variable impact on quality of sleep, was evaluated for its relationship with sleep quality. Sleep quality was measured with Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Data were analyzed by descriptive and analytic statistics including Spearman’s rank correlation, chi-square test, and the independent-samples t-test.   Findings: Over 95% of subjects had undesirable sleep quality and the rest (4.4%) with desirable sleep quality. The mean BMI was 26.68±3.88. Of total population, 65.6% were overweight or obese. There was no significant correlation between sleep quality and BMI (P>0.05). A significant correlation between the psychological disorders and undesirable sleep quality was found (P<0.05).   Conclusion: According to the data obtained, future studies regarding the psychological disorders and treatment protocols to improve the quality of sleep in chemical warfare victims are recommended.