This secondary analysis examined whether time in bed (a proxy for nighttime sleep duration) moderates the effect of physical activity (PA) interventions in sedentary Latinas, using data from two separate RCTs (Pasos Hacia La Salud I and II; NCT01834287 and NCT03491592).
Time in bed was a significant moderator of PA intervention outcomes (p < 0.05 across both studies). Women with more time in bed showed greater PA gains: in Study 1, intervention vs. control; in Study 2, enhanced vs. original intervention.
- Time in bed was self-reported and used only as a proxy for sleep duration, not a validated measure of sleep quality or actual sleep time. - The analysis plan was not pre-registered, raising risk of post-hoc inference. - Both RCTs enrolled only sedentary Latinas, limiting generalizability to other populations.
Clinicians designing PA interventions for Latinas should screen for insufficient sleep, as women with adequate time in bed appear to benefit more from these programs. Addressing sleep alongside PA promotion may improve intervention outcomes in this population.
