1.Sleep quality and body weight status of Malaysian university students
Nurul Fareeza Suhaimi ; Zuriati Ibrahim ; Siti Nur &lsquo ; Asyura Adznam ; Sabariah Md Noor
Malaysian Journal of Nutrition 2020;26(No.3):461-470
Introduction: Inadequate sleep duration is a modifiable behaviour linked with body
weight, yet limited is known on the role of sleep quality with body weight status
among university students. The study aimed to determine sleep quality and its
association with body weight status among university students. Methods: A crosssectional study was conducted among 240 university students (24.6% males, 75.4%
females) with a mean age of 21.22±1.24 years. Subjects were recruited from four
faculties of University Putra Malaysia (UPM). Information on socio-demographic,
sleep quality and anthropometric measurements were collected. Pittsburgh Sleep
Quality Index (PSQI) was used to assess sleep quality, whereby a summation score
from seven components yielded a global score on sleep quality, with higher scores
indicating poor sleep quality. Results: Majority of subjects were Malay (79.2%)
with a mean body mass index of 22.6kg/m2. A majority (61.3%) had normal body
weight, with the prevalences of underweight (UW), overweight (OW), and obesity
(OB) at 12.9%, 19.6% and 6.3%, respectively. The mean global PSQI score was
5.76±2.64, with half of the respondents (50.4%) experiencing poor sleep quality.
OW-OB experienced poorer sleep quality (6.53±2.79, p=0.004) and longer sleep
latency (1.34±0.10, p=0.008) relative to UW-NW. OB subjects had substantially more
frequent sleep disturbances compared to non-OB subjects (1.53±0.64, p=0.012).
Conclusion: Findings suggest that OW-OB students at university are at a greater
risk of having reduced sleep quality with longer sleep latency and frequent sleep
disturbances. There is a need for a wellness initiative to reduce the incidence of
obesity while fostering healthier sleeping habits among university students.