0409 Association Between Milk Tea Intake and Insomnia Among Nurses: A Longitudinal Study

Abstract Introduction Milk tea has served as one of the most popular sugar-sweetened beverage among adults, including nurses. However, few studies have investigated the potential effects of milk tea consumption on long-term sleep among nurses. We aimed to examine the impacts of milk tea consumption level and changes in frequency on insomnia among nurses. Methods This longitudinal study analyzed data from 84,252 participants from the Nurses’ Mental Health Studies in China. Insomnia status was defined as long-term healthy, new-onset, recovery, and chronic insomnia based on assessments at baseline and one year follow-up. Milk tea consumption was categorized as never, less than 1, 1-2, 3-6, and 7+ cups per week. Multiple logistic models were used to examine the effects of milk tea consumption on insomnia, adjusting for demographic, work-related, lifestyles, and mental health factors. Marginal effects models were employed to estimate predicted probabilities of insomnia outcomes. Results The prevalence of long-term healthy, new-onset, recovery, and long-term chronic insomnia was 60.2%, 16.2%, 9.3%, and 14.3%, respectively. Nurses with long-term chronic insomnia were more likely to be characterized as female, engaging in night-shift work, high levels of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, fatigue and loneliness. Compared with not consuming any milk tea, intake less than 1 cup per week was associated with lower risk of new-onset insomnia (adjusted risk ratio [aRR]=0.84, predicted probability 15.8%) and chronic insomnia (aRR=0.94, predicted probability 14.1%). In contrast, those taking in 3 to 6 cups per week had higher risk of chronic insomnia (aRR=1.17, predicted probability 16.3%). Increased consumption from baseline to follow-up was associated with higher risk of new-onset insomnia (aRR range: 1.23-2.66), while decreased consumption had stronger associations with lower risk of chronic insomnia (aRR range: 0.42-0.92). Conclusion This large-sample longitudinal study found that milk tea consumption was significantly associated with the risk of developing new-onset insomnia and chronic insomnia among nurses. Reducing high levels of milk tea intake may be a potential strategy to improve sleep health in the population. Support (if any)