Social, Biological and Behavioral Factors Associated with Social Jet Lag and Sleep Duration in University Students from a Low Urbanized City

Abstract

Xaize de Fátima de Medeiros Lopes,1 Mayonara Fabíola Silva Araújo,1 Natália de Carvalho Cordeiro Lira,1 Diego de Sousa Dantas,2 Jane Carla de Souza1 1Faculty of Health Sciences of Trairi, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Santa Cruz, State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil; 2Department of Physiotherapy, Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, BrazilCorrespondence: Jane Carla de SouzaCampus Faculty of Health Sciences of Trairi, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Passos de Miranda St, Santa Cruz, 59200-000, State of Rio Grande do Norte, BrazilTel [phone]Email [email protected]: Sleep deprivation and social jet lag are observed in college students from highly urbanized cities. However, does these consequences also present in college students from a low urbanization city?Objective: To evaluate the prevalence and social, biological and behavioral factors associated with sleep deprivation and social jet lag in university students from a low urbanized city of Brazil.Methods: A total of 298 university students participated in the study through application of the Health and Sleep and the Munich Chronotype Questionnaires. Multiple linear regression with stepwise-forward method was adopted to assess the associations of the factors with the outcome variables.Results: Doing leisure activities (LA) (B = 23.24) and academic demand (AD) before bedtime (B = 19.51), both on the weekend, and doing household chores (HC) before bedtime (B = 17.61) in the week were associated with an increase in social jet lag, while stimulating drinks (SD) were associated with a decrease (B = − 15.17). Shorter sleep duration in the week was related to chronotype (B = − 0.56), male (B = − 26.51), doing LA (B = − 27.63), poor perception about sleeping place (PPSP) (B = − 43.02) and daily commute (B = − 68.97). The shorter sleep duration in the weekend was associated to male (B = − 36.36), PPSP (B = − 58.16), have recreational and religious activities (B = − 31.11), doing LA (B = − 25.10) and AD (B = − 23.60). Just chronotype was associated with longer sleep duration in the weekend (B = 0.25).Conclusion: University students from a low urbanized city present social jet lag, shorter sleep duration on school days and longer sleep duration on free days as a result of biological and social factors, and mostly behavioral factors.Keywords: sleep-wake cycle, level of urbanization, sleep deprivation, sleep irregularity

Keywords

• sleep-wake cycle
• level of urbanization
• sleep deprivation
• sleep irregularity