Factors Affecting Sleep Quality among University Medical and Nursing Students: A Study in Two Countries in the Mediterranean Region

Abstract

Poor sleep quality, a global public health concern, poses a significant burden on individuals, particularly health care university students facing intense academic stress. A three-center cross-sectional study was conducted at the Higher Institute of Nursing and Health Sciences in Tetouan (Morocco), Faculty of Medicine in Tangier (Morocco) and Faculty of Nursing in Valencia (Spain). We collected various data using a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Pittsburgh sleep quality questionnaire, the international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ) and the smartphone addiction questionnaire short-version (SAS-SV). A total of 1210 students were included in our study (mean age 20.4 years, 67.2% female, nursing students (66.2%) and medical students (33.8%), 76.1% students from Morocco and 33.9% from Spain). Analysis revealed a higher prevalence of poor sleep quality among Moroccans students compared to Spanish ones (p p p p p < 0.01 each). Our findings highlight the multifaceted factors affecting sleep quality in young university students. The implications underscore the imperative of interventions tailored to this demographic group.

Keywords

• sleep quality
• Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index
• medical and nursing students
• physical activity
• smartphone addiction