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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Journal of Clinical Medicine

Seasonal Variation, Circadian Patterns, and Night Eating Syndrome Among Older Adults: The Mediating Role of Sleep Quality

  • Noha Gamal El-Sayed Ghoniem1
  • Mona Metwally El-Sayed2
  • Basema Alharbi2
  • Wagida Wafik3
  • Amira Mohammed Ali4
  • Sahar Mohammed Mohammed Aly5,6
  • Fatma Mohammed Ahmed3
6 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Gerontological Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44519, Egypt
  2. 2Department of Community, Psychiatric, and Mental Health Nursing, College of Nursing, Qassim University, Buraydah 52571, Saudi Arabia
  3. 3Department of Community Health Nursing, College of Nursing, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44519, Egypt
  4. 4Department of Psychiatric Nursing and Mental Health, Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University, Smouha, Alexandria 21527, Egypt
  5. 5Nursing Leadership and Management, Makkah National College, Makkah 21995, Saudi Arabia
  6. 6Nursing Leadership and Management, Faculty of Nursing, Port-Said University, Port-Said 42526, Egypt
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Abstract

Objective: We aimed to examine whether sleep quality mediates the relationship between seasonal variation, circadian pattern, and night eating syndrome in community-dwelling older adults. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 336 community-dwelling older adults (aged ≥ 60 years) recruited from geriatric social clubs. Participants completed validated instruments, including the Global Seasonality Scale (GSS), Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), Night Eating Diagnostic Questionnaire (NEDQ), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Path analysis with bootstrapping (5000 resamples) was used to estimate direct and indirect associations among the study variables. Results: The mean age was 66.8 ± 5.9 years (56.8% male). Moderate to severe seasonal variation was observed in 68.2% of participants, while 85.1% reported poor sleep quality. Morning circadian pattern predominated (56.9%), and 23.2% met criteria for full night eating syndrome. Path analysis identified a significant indirect association between seasonal variation and circadian pattern through sleep quality (B = −0.038, 95% CI [−0.051, −0.026]), corresponding to 41% of the total modeled association. Similarly, a significant indirect association between seasonal variation and night eating syndrome through sleep quality was observed (B = 0.053, 95% CI [0.037, 0.068]), corresponding to 37% of the total modeled association. All direct and indirect paths were statistically significant (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Sleep quality was significantly involved in the observed relationships between seasonal variation, circadian pattern, and night eating syndrome among older adults, with the path models indicating both direct and indirect associations. These findings emphasize the interconnected nature of seasonal sensitivity, sleep characteristics, circadian preference, and nighttime eating behavior in later life. Further longitudinal research with repeated seasonal assessments is warranted to clarify the temporal relationships among these factors and to determine the potential value of sleep-focused preventive and clinical approaches.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{ghoniem2026seasonal,
  title = {{Seasonal Variation, Circadian Patterns, and Night Eating Syndrome Among Older Adults: The Mediating Role of Sleep Quality}},
  author = {Noha Gamal El-Sayed Ghoniem and Mona Metwally El-Sayed and Basema Alharbi and Wagida Wafik and Amira Mohammed Ali and Sahar Mohammed Mohammed Aly and Fatma Mohammed Ahmed},
  journal = {Journal of Clinical Medicine},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.3390/jcm15208163},
  url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/15/20/8163},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Seasonal Variation, Circadian Patterns, and Night Eating Syndrome Among Older Adults: The Mediating Role of Sleep Quality
AU  - Noha Gamal El-Sayed Ghoniem
AU  - Mona Metwally El-Sayed
AU  - Basema Alharbi
AU  - Wagida Wafik
AU  - Amira Mohammed Ali
AU  - Sahar Mohammed Mohammed Aly
AU  - Fatma Mohammed Ahmed
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/01
JO  - Journal of Clinical Medicine
DO  - 10.3390/jcm15208163
UR  - https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/15/20/8163
AB  - Objective: We aimed to examine whether sleep quality mediates the relationship between seasonal variation, circadian pattern, and night eating syndrome in community-dwelling older adults. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 336 community-dwelling older adults (aged ≥ 60 years) recruited from geriatric social clubs. Participants completed validated instruments, including the Global Seasonality Scale (GSS), Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), Night Eating Diagnostic Questionnaire (NEDQ), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Path analysis with bootstrapping (5000 resamples) was used to estimate direct and indirect associations among the study variables. Results: The mean age was 66.8 ± 5.9 years (56.8% male). Moderate to severe seasonal variation was observed in 68.2% of participants, while 85.1% reported poor sleep quality. Morning circadian pattern predominated (56.9%), and 23.2% met criteria for full night eating syndrome. Path analysis identified a significant indirect association between seasonal variation and circadian pattern through sleep quality (B = −0.038, 95% CI [−0.051, −0.026]), corresponding to 41% of the total modeled association. Similarly, a significant indirect association between seasonal variation and night eating syndrome through sleep quality was observed (B = 0.053, 95% CI [0.037, 0.068]), corresponding to 37% of the total modeled association. All direct and indirect paths were statistically significant (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Sleep quality was significantly involved in the observed relationships between seasonal variation, circadian pattern, and night eating syndrome among older adults, with the path models indicating both direct and indirect associations. These findings emphasize the interconnected nature of seasonal sensitivity, sleep characteristics, circadian preference, and nighttime eating behavior in later life. Further longitudinal research with repeated seasonal assessments is warranted to clarify the temporal relationships among these factors and to determine the potential value of sleep-focused preventive and clinical approaches.
SN  - 2077-0383
ER  -