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Brain Science Advances 2020, 6(2): 81-91 https://doi.org/10.26599/BSA.2020.9050004
Research Article | Open Access | Issue | Published: 31 August 2020

Chronotype distribution in the Chinese population

Show Author's Information Zhiwei Liu§,  Yingying Dong§,  Ying Xu,  Fei Zhou( )
Cambridge-Suda (CAM-SU) Genomic Resource Center, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases Research, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, China

§ These authors contributed equally to this work.

Keywords:
circadian rhythm, chronotype, Morningness– Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), distribution
Cite this article:
Liu Z, Dong Y, Xu Y, et al. Chronotype distribution in the Chinese population. Brain Science Advances, 2020, 6(2): 81-91. https://doi.org/10.26599/BSA.2020.9050004
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Abstract Full text Electronic supplementary material About this article
Purpose:

Individual chronotypes are reported to be closely associated with mood, health status, and even disease progression. However, no reports of chronotype distribution in the Chinese population have been made available to date.

Methods:

We performed a chronotype survey using the classic Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire both online and offline. The webpage-based online survey was distributed via a social network application on mobile phones. The offline survey was distributed to local primary and middle schools. A total of 9476 questionnaires were collected, of which 8395 were valid. The mean age of the participants was 30.38 ± 11.47 years, and 37.38% were male.

Results:

Overall, the Chinese chronotypes showed a near-normal distribution with a slight shift toward eveningness. When analyzed in different age groups, the overall Chinese population was shown to be "latest" in their early twenties. In the young population, two significant points of change in chronotype were identified at the ages of 10 and 16 years. The chronotype composition remained relatively stable during early adulthood (from 17 to 28 years of age).

Conclusion:

This study generated the first overview of chronotype distribution in the Chinese population and will serve as essential background data for future studies.


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Abstract
Full text
Outline
Electronic supplementary material
About this article

Chronotype distribution in the Chinese population

Show Author's information Zhiwei Liu§, Yingying Dong§, Ying Xu, Fei Zhou( )
Cambridge-Suda (CAM-SU) Genomic Resource Center, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases Research, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, China

§ These authors contributed equally to this work.

Abstract

Purpose:

Individual chronotypes are reported to be closely associated with mood, health status, and even disease progression. However, no reports of chronotype distribution in the Chinese population have been made available to date.

Methods:

We performed a chronotype survey using the classic Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire both online and offline. The webpage-based online survey was distributed via a social network application on mobile phones. The offline survey was distributed to local primary and middle schools. A total of 9476 questionnaires were collected, of which 8395 were valid. The mean age of the participants was 30.38 ± 11.47 years, and 37.38% were male.

Results:

Overall, the Chinese chronotypes showed a near-normal distribution with a slight shift toward eveningness. When analyzed in different age groups, the overall Chinese population was shown to be "latest" in their early twenties. In the young population, two significant points of change in chronotype were identified at the ages of 10 and 16 years. The chronotype composition remained relatively stable during early adulthood (from 17 to 28 years of age).

Conclusion:

This study generated the first overview of chronotype distribution in the Chinese population and will serve as essential background data for future studies.

Keywords: circadian rhythm, chronotype, Morningness– Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), distribution

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Publication history
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Acknowledgements
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Publication history

Received: 10 January 2020
Revised: 01 February 2020
Accepted: 03 February 2020
Published: 31 August 2020
Issue date: June 2020

Copyright

© The authors 2020

Acknowledgements

Establishment of local database and online distribution of MEQ were completed with technical supports of Buymice Co., Ltd. (Nanjing, China). We would like to thank all students and staffs in Dr. Ying Xu’s lab for their efforts in collecting and summarizing offline survey results. We are also grateful to all participants who filled in our questionnaires. This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31630091 awarded to Ying Xu, No. 81600380 awarded to F.Z., and No. 31600958 awarded to Z.L.) and National Center for International Research (No. 2017B01012).

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