This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Taillard, J. Articles by Bioulac, B. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Taillard, J. Articles by Bioulac, B. Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Validation of Horne and Ostberg Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire in a Middle-Aged Population of French Workers

Clinique du sommeil, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Bordeaux cedex, France, CNRS UM5543, Université Bordeaux 2, Bordeaux, France, jack.taill{at}free.fr

Pierre Philip

Clinique du Sommeil, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Bordeaux Cedex, France, CNRS UM5543, Université Bordeaux 2, Bordeaux, France

Jean-François Chastang

INSERM Unité 69, Saint Maurice, France

Bernard Bioulac

Clinique du Sommeil, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Bordeaux Cedex, France, CNRS UM5543, Université Bordeaux 2, Bordeaux, France

As suggested by the authors, the Horne and Ostberg morning/evening questionnaire (MEQ) has never been adapted to evaluate a nonstudent population. The purpose of this study was to validate this MEQ in a sample of middle-aged workers by modifying only the cutoffs. It was administered in 566 non-shift-workers aged 51.2 to 3.2 years who presented no sleep disorders. According to the Horne and Ostberg classification, the sample consisted of 62.1% morning type, 36.6% neither type, and 2.2% evening type. Multiple correspondence analysis, which determines the principal components, was performed on all MEQ items. Then an ascending hierarchical classification was applied to determine 3 clusters from these principal components. On the basis of these 3 clusters, new cutoffs were determined: evening types were considered as scoring under 53 and morning types above 64, thus giving 28.1% morning type, 51.7% neither type, and 20.2% evening type. As an external validation, eveningness was associated with later bedtime and waking-up time (more pronounced at the weekend), greater need for sleep, larger daily sleep debt, greater morning sleepiness, and ease of returning to sleep in the early morning. A positive correlation between age and morningness was again found. This study confirms that "owls" are not rare in a middle-aged sample. We conclude that this adapted MEQ could be useful when investigating age-related changes in sleep.

Key Words: morningness-eveningness • aging • middle age • sleep • self-rating questionnaire

Journal of Biological Rhythms, Vol. 19, No. 1, 76-86 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/0748730403259849


CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				T. Hatonen, S. Forsblom, T. Kieseppa, J. Lonnqvist, and T. Partonen Circadian Phenotype in Patients with the Co-Morbid Alcohol Use and Bipolar Disorders Alcohol Alcohol., September 1, 2008; 43(5): 564 - 568. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S.-J. Paine, P. H. Gander, and N. Travier The Epidemiology of Morningness/Eveningness: Influence of Age, Gender, Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic Factors in Adults (30-49 Years) J Biol Rhythms, February 1, 2006; 21(1): 68 - 76. [Abstract] [PDF]