Nature and Science of Sleep (Oct 2020)

Sleep Quality of Students from Elementary School to University: A Cross-Sectional Study

  • Liu B,
  • Gao F,
  • Zhang J,
  • Zhou H,
  • Sun N,
  • Li L,
  • Liang L,
  • Ning N,
  • Wu Q,
  • Zhao M

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 12
pp. 855 – 864

Abstract

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Baohua Liu,1,2,* Fei Gao,3,* Jianfeng Zhang,3,* Hongguo Zhou,1 Ning Sun,1 Laiyou Li,1 Libo Liang,2 Ning Ning,2 Qunhong Wu,2 Miaomiao Zhao4 1School of Health Services and Management, Ningbo College of Health Sciences, Ningbo 315100, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Social Medicine, School of Health Management, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, Heilongjiang, People’s Republic of China; 3Institute of Food Safety and School Health, Heilongjiang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin 150030, Heilongjiang, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Health Management, School of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong 226019, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Qunhong Wu; Miaomiao Zhao Tel +8618686825192; +8618860979901Email [email protected]; [email protected]: Sleep affects a wide array of health outcomes and is associated with the quality of life. Among students, sleep quality is affected by school stage and grade; however, data regarding the different sleep-related problems students experience at different school stages are limited. In this study, we aimed to explore sleep quality among a student sample ranging from elementary school to university level.Methods: Overall, data were examined for 9392 subjects aged 9– 22 years. Information on sociodemographic characteristics and other variables were collected through self-administered questionnaires. Sleep quality on school nights was evaluated using the standard Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; global score > 5 was classified as poor sleep quality. For the high school sample, logistic regression analysis was used to estimate associations between sleep quality and certain factors.Results: Of the elementary school, middle school, vocational high school, senior high school, and university students, 7.5%, 19.2%, 28.6%, 41.9%, and 28.5%, respectively, showed poor sleep quality. The high school students reported the highest prevalence of shorter sleep duration (70.8%), day dysfunction (84.7%), and subjective poor sleep quality (17.2%). The elementary school students showed the highest prevalence of poor sleep efficiency (17.9%). The university students showed the highest prevalence of sleep medication use (6.4%). The vocational high school students reported the highest prevalence of sleep latency (6.3%) and sleep disturbance (7.4%). Logistic regression modeling indicated that sleep quality is positively associated with school stage, grade, family atmosphere, academic pressure, and number of friends.Conclusion: Sleep quality and sleep features change greatly from elementary school to university. Interventions to improve sleep quality should consider targeting the specific issues students experience at each school stage. Alarmed by the high prevalence of poor sleep quality among high school students, it is recommended that high school students should be informed of their sleep matter and the consequences.Keywords: different school stages, sleep quality, students, PSQI

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