Sex differences in the factors associated with sleep duration in university students: A cross-sectional study

Relationships between grit and lifestyle factors in undergraduate college students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: To investigate the influence of grit on physical activity, sleep and diet in undergraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants: 125 undergraduate students participated in the study. Participants completed an online survey while enrolled in an online class during June, 2020. Methods: The online questionairre featured the following validated survey instruments: International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Rapid Eating Assessment for Participants Short Form and the grit short form. Effects of grit on lifestyle behaviors were explored using several statistical approaches. Results: We found that individuals with more grit reported better eating and sleeping behaviors compared to those with less grit. However, we did not find an influence of grit on physical activity or sitting time. Conclusion: Our findings support that personality traits encompassed in grit contribute to college students reporting healthier dietary habits and better sleep quality during a global pandemic.

Physical activity and morningness: A helpful combination in improving the sleep quality of active Italian university students

University students are commonly described as having worsened sleep quality, especially when inactive and Evening-type (E-type) subjects. This study aimed to examine the interactions between physical activity and chronotype on sleep quality among a sample of active Sports Science university students. In November 2019, 433 participants (mean age: 19.7 ± 1.56 years; 70% males) completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Godin-Shepard Leisure-Time Physical Activity Questionnaire (tertiles categorisation), and the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire. Females and E-type slept significantly worse than males and Neither-(N-types) and Morning-types (M-types), respectively. However, there were no significant differences in sleep quality based on physical activity levels. The three-way ANOVA revealed that sleep quality in N- and E-types appeared to be independent of physical activity, whereas M-types showed an improvement in sleep classification with increased physical activity. Moderation analysis indicated that physical activity significantly moderated the relationship between chronotypes and sleep quality. Specifically, M-types demonstrated a more pronounced improvement in sleep quality with increasing physical activity compared to the other chronotypes. In conclusion, M-type university students derived the greatest benefits from physical activity in improving sleep quality. Conversely, physical activity seemed to have a limited impact on sleep quality among active E-type university students.

Association of chronotype, social jetlag, sleep duration and depressive symptoms in Chinese college students

OBJECTIVES

To describe the prevalence of depressive symptoms among Chinese college students and examine the relationship between sleep and circadian rhythm disruption (SCRD) indicators (chronotype, social jetlag, sleep duration) and depressive symptoms.

METHODS

From April to May 2019, the College Student Behavior and Health Cohort Study was conducted among Chinese college students from 2 universities in Anhui and Jiangxi provinces. The current study used data from the third follow-up study. Questionnaire content includes socio-demographic and lifestyle information. Social jetlag and sleep duration were calculated by answering the question about sleep time. Chronotype was assessed by the Morning and Evening Questionnaire (MEQ-5). Depressive symptoms were evaluated by the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9). A Chi-square test was used to examine the proportion depressive symptoms. Multinomial logistic regression model were used to explore the associations of circadian rhythm indicators with depressive symptoms.

RESULTS

The prevalence of mild depression, moderate and above depression was 18.8 % and 6.9 %. Evening types (E-types) and short sleep duration were significantly associated with depression. Stratified analysis indicated that E-types and social jetlag≥2 h were associated with mild depression (OR = 5.67, 95 % CI: 1.83-17.51), as well as stratified analysis indicated that E-types and sleep duration<8 h were associated with mild depression (OR = 5.10, 95 % CI: 1.88-13.87).

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that depressive symptoms are more severe when multiple SCRD indicators are out of whack. The intervention programs of depressive symptoms should consider the context of the multidimensional aspects of Chinese college student sleep.

Sex differences in factors associated with neck pain among undergraduate healthcare students: a cross-sectional survey

Background

Neck pain is widespread among students in healthcare-related fields. Although neck pain is more prevalent in females, since most research involves mixed-sex samples we know very little about sex differences in contributors to neck pain. Thus, this study sought to explore sex differences in the risk factors for neck pain in this high-risk population.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted in China in 2021 and included a sample of 1921 undergraduate healthcare students (693 males, 1228 females) from 7 health professional schools at Fujian Medical University. We collected data on neck pain symptoms, demographics, behavioral and psychological factors. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine sex differences in the risk factors of neck pain.

Results

The overall prevalence of neck pain was 41.6% with female students having a higher prevalence than male students (44.4% vs. 36.7%, respectively). The adjusted analyses showed that self-study time ≥ 6 h/day (OR = 1.44, 95% CI:1.13-1.83), flexed neck posture >20 degrees (OR = 2.19, 95% CI: 1.28-3.74), static duration posture >2 h (OR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.02-1.97), and psychological distress (high: OR = 2.04, 95% CI:1.42-2.94; very high: OR = 2.50, 95% CI:1.57-3.74; respectively) were independent factors for neck pain in females. Among males, self-study time ≥ 6 h/day (OR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.02-2.01) and psychological distress (moderate: OR = 2.04, 95% CI:1.28-3.25; high: OR = 2.37, 95% CI:1.49-3.79; very high: OR = 2.97, 95% CI:1.75-5.02; respectively) were significant risk factors for neck pain.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that the risk profiles of neck pain differ between females and males. The modifiable risk factors for neck pain, such as prolonged self-study time and elevated psychological distress, as well as poor posture among females, could be targeted through health promotion interventions in university settings.

The relationship between acquaintance with a SARS-CoV-2 death, positive SARS-CoV-2 test results, and sleep duration among college students in fall 2020

Background

The aim of this study was to test whether two SARS-CoV-2 experiences, knowing someone who had died of SARS-CoV-2 infection and having received a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result, were associated with shorter sleep duration among undergraduate students.

Methods

An online cross-sectional study was conducted at a large public Midwestern university in September 2020 (fall semester). Self-reported average sleep duration and the exposures of interest, knowing someone who died from a SARS-CoV-2 infection and their own SARS-CoV-2 test result, were collected from 1,058 undergraduate study participants.

Results

Respondents who knew someone who had died of a SARS-CoV-2 infection were more likely to report having a short sleep duration, compared to respondents who did not know someone who had died of a SARS-CoV-2 infection (aOR = 1.80, 95% CI: 1.14, 2.79). However, those with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result were less likely to report a short sleep duration, compared to respondents without a positive test history (aOR = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.21, 0.91).

Conclusions

These findings suggest that college students' knowing someone who had died of SARS-CoV-2 infection and having received a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result are associated with sleep duration. However, different experiences may impact sleep differently, so further research is warranted to better understand how unusual events impact the sleep of college students.

Research trends in college students' sleep from 2012 to 2021: A bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND

A great proportion of college students experience various sleep problems, which damage their health and study performance. College students' sleep problems, which are caused by several factors, have been easily ignored before. In the past decade, more research has been published to expand our understanding of undergraduates' sleep. The purpose of the study is to explore the research hotspots and frontiers regarding college students' sleep using CiteSpace5.8.R3 and offer guidance for future study.

METHODS

We retrieved relevant literature from the Web of Science Core Collection Database and imputed the downloaded files into CiteSpace5.8.R3 for visualization analysis. We generated network maps of the collaborations between authors, countries, institutions, the cited journals, and co-occurrence keywords. The analysis of keywords clusters, timeline views, and keywords citation bursts help us identify the hotspots and research trends.

RESULTS

A total of 1,841 articles related to college students' sleep, published from 2012 to 2021, were selected. The number of publications gradually increased. Karl Peltzer was the most prolific authors with 15 publications. The United States and Harvard University separately contributed 680 and 40 articles and had the greatest impact in this field. SLEEP ranked first in the frequency of cited journals. The article published by Lund HG was the most influential publication. Based on the analysis of keywords, we summarized research hotspots as follows: current status, affecting factors, and adverse outcomes of college students' sleep. The frontiers were the further understanding of the relationships between sleep and mental and physical health, and various interventions for sleep disorders.

CONCLUSION

Our study illustrates the research hotspots and trends and calls for more research to expand the findings. In the future, the cooperation between institutions and authors needs to be strengthened. The complex relationships between sleep and mental and physical health and problematic substance use disorders are necessary to be explored. Longitudinal studies or randomized controlled trials should be constructed to verify the current findings or assumptions.

Sleep disturbance and quality of life among university freshmen in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of China

PURPOSE

University freshmen are particularly vulnerable as they are undergoing the transition from high school to university with a range of changes. Sleep problems among this group in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of China were barely studied. This study aimed to explore sleep disturbance, and its association with quality of life (QoL) and demographic and clinical characteristics among university freshmen in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China.

METHODS

A multistage stratified cluster random sampling method was performed to recruit student participants with a structured questionnaire to collect sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, and lifestyle behaviors. Sleep disturbance including three aspects of sleep disturbance (i.e., difficulty initiating sleep (DIS), difficulty maintaining sleep (DMS), and early morning awakening (EMA)) was assessed using standardized measurement. Multiple logistic regression models were applied to analyze the data.

RESULTS

Among included 2,769 freshmen, the prevalence of sleep disturbance was 14.8% (95% CI: 14.2-15.5%), and corresponding prevalence of DIS, DMS, and EMA was 8.2% (95% CI: 7.7-8.7%), 8.3% (95% CI: 7.8-8.8%), and 4.2% (95% CI: 3.8-4.6%), respectively. Freshmen with sleeping disturbance had significantly lower QoL in physical [F _{(1, 2769)} = 60.23, p < 0.001], psychological [F _{(1, 2769)} = 46.18, p < 0.001], social [F _{(1, 2769)} = 23.04, p < 0.001], and environment [F _{(1, 2769)} = 6.07, p = 0.01] domains. Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that having breakfast five times a week or less (less than three times, OR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.34-2.40; 3-5 times, OR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.09-1.79), self-perceived severe Internet dependence (OR = 1.71, 95% CI: 1.11-2.65), self-perceived poor health status (OR = 3.44, 95% CI: 2.06-5.74), high academic stress (OR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.13-1.78), poor relationship with classmates (OR = 3.44, 95% CI: 1.53-7.71), and severe ADHD symptoms (OR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.05-1.12) were positively associated with sleeping disturbance.

CONCLUSION

Sleep disturbance was common among freshmen and is associated with poorer QoL. Prevention and intervention strategies should be developed and implemented, especially among the vulnerable university freshman groups.