| dc.description.abstract | Background: Sleep is essential to maintaining good health and quality of life. Poor quality of
sleep is linked to several diseases like type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and
mental health issues. Several factors can influence the quality and quantity of sleep, and
exposure to screens for a long time could be a significant factor. Due to the widespread
availability and advancement of digital technology, screen time has increased drastically
worldwide. University students are usually exposed to screens for a long time as they depend on
digital devices for their academic activities. This exposure for a long period can affect their sleep
quality and overall health. Therefore, it is important to assess the association between screen
time and the sleeping patterns of university students. However, limited studies have been done in
Bangladesh to see the association between screen time and sleeping patterns. Therefore, this
study aims to determine the amount of screen time and sleep quality of university students and
also investigate the association between screen time and sleeping patterns of university students.
Methodology: A cross-sectional study was carried out using a structured questionnaire among
the university students of Chittagong. 390 individuals in the age range 18-25 participated in the
study, and a combination of simple random sampling and convenience sampling was conducted
to select the Universities and students from them. Before data collection, pilot testing was
conducted among four university students to assess the accuracy of the questionnaire. Written
consent was taken from the participants through a consent form, which was explained to them in
detail before the beginning of the survey. The participants had the freedom to withdraw from the
study at any point of data collection. The collected data was entered and analyzed through the
SPSS software.
Result: Out of the 390 participants, 63.3% of the students had poor sleep quality, and only
34.9% of the students had good sleep quality. The students' mean (± SD) sleeping duration was
6.01 ± 1.45, and the mean PSQI score was 7.04 ± 3.36. The average (± SD) screen time of the
students was 8.44 ± 2.68 for weekdays and 9.44 ± 3.32 for weekends. Based on the findings of the
study screen screen-related activities like watching TV/YouTube, surfing the internet, & using Social
media for more than 2 hours affect the sleep quality of the students. Besides, bedtime screen time of more
than 60 minutes was significantly associated with poor sleep quality.
Conclusion: The average screen time among the students was more than 8 hours, and more than
half of the participants had poor sleep quality. Exposure to screens for a long time, especially
during bedtime, harms the students' sleep quality. Screen-related activities should be limited to at
least one hour before bedtime to improve the sleep and overall health of the students.
Universities can play a significant role in reducing students' screen time by arranging workshops,
seminars, and awareness campaigns highlighting the adverse impact of excessive screen time on
physical and mental health. | en_US |
